Apple working to fix dictation bug replacing 'racist' with 'Trump'
What's the story
Apple is working on fixing a strange bug in its iPhone dictation feature.
The bug, which replaces the word "racist" with "Trump" for a second before autocorrecting, has been making rounds on TikTok and other social media platforms.
The issue has also drawn criticism from conservatives who allege it shows political bias on Apple's part.
The tech giant has acknowledged the glitch and is working on a fix.
Bug explanation
Apple attributes glitch to phonetic overlaps
Apple has traced the origin of this unusual bug to a flaw in the speech recognition model used for dictation.
The company explained that due to phonetic overlaps in its speech recognition model, dictation might temporarily display words with similar sounds before finalizing the correct one.
In this case, the glitch caused "Trump" to appear briefly when users uttered "racist."
Wider impact
Glitch extends beyond single word pairing
The glitch isn't limited to the exact pairing of "racist" and "Trump."
Other "r" consonant starting words like "ramp," "rhubarb," "rhythmic," and "ruffles" have also been seen flashing as "Trump" before autocorrecting.
Apple explained that its system refines its transcription after further analysis, but this temporary error was enough to spark outrage online.
Controversy
Expert suggests prank, Apple says its a technical error
John Burkey, an artificial intelligence (AI) expert and former member of Apple's Siri team, suggested the glitch could be a prank. He questioned if someone intentionally introduced this into the data or code.
However, Apple insists it is purely a technical error and not a deliberate act. The company has reassured users that an immediate fix is being implemented to rectify this issue.
Past issues
Apple's history with AI-powered features
Notably, this controversy isn't the first time Apple has struggled with its features.
Back in 2018, Siri was slammed for briefly showing a nude image on asking a question about Trump, thanks to Wikipedia edits.
More recently, last month, the company had to disable a key function of its Apple Intelligence system after it generated inaccurate news summaries.
These incidents highlight the complexities of AI-driven speech recognition and their potential for unexpected backlash.