Apple Intelligence, now available on iPhones in the U.S. with iOS 18.1, is seeing a gradual release. While Apple’s rollout of features is very cautious, it hasn’t shielded the company from criticism. One AI feature, in particular—the ability to summarize notifications—has drawn mixed reviews.
Summarizing notifications. Among Apple Intelligence’s new tools is a feature that summarizes iOS notifications. If an app sends several notifications or if someone sends multiple messages in a row, Apple Intelligence can analyze and condense them into a single summary notification. In theory, this should help users keep track of information without getting overwhelmed.
Click on the image to go to the original post on Threads.
Chaotic summaries. According to The Verge, some users using the summaries report that Apple Intelligence sometimes misinterprets the notifications.
Click on the image to go to the original post on X.
The problem is context. Apple’s AI model struggles particularly with messages lacking detailed context, such as those from apps like Slack or vague notifications. In everyday conversations, humans can infer meaning from context, but Apple’s AI model hasn’t quite mastered that skill.
Source: The Verge.
Multiple examples. On platforms like Reddit, Threads, and X, users have shared screenshots of Apple Intelligence’s missteps. In one case, a mother’s message about a minor fall was summarized as a suicide attempt. In another, multiple alerts from a security camera were summarized to suggest there were “10 or more people detected at the front entrance,” though each person had merely passed by at different times.
Click on the image to go to the original post on Threads.
Others find the notifications funny. While the misinterpretations are sometimes alarming, many users find them amusing. Apple Intelligence’s attempts to summarize can be confusing but often bring a dose of unintentional humor.
The message on the left, quite alarming, was the result of the summary of the texts on the right. It was a conversation about the video game Fortnite. Source: Reddit.
A work in progress. The notification summary feature has potential, but its accuracy needs improvement. For users who receive a high volume of notifications, a well-refined summary tool could be extremely useful. With advancements, Apple Intelligence may better interpret context in messages and emails, enhancing its reliability.
Images | appshunter.io (Unsplash) | The Verge | Reddit | Xataka En
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