Apple has prohibited the distribution of an upgrade to email program BlueMail that included the ChatGPT chatbot and demanded the developer install content screening or age restrictions first.
This is how Apple treats applications that generate content using AI. One of the two aforementioned provisions must be implemented prior to release, according to Apple’s App Review(opens in new tab) division, who informed Blix that AI could produce content that might not be appropriate for younger audiences.
Ben Volach, the co-founder of BlueMail’s maker Blix Inc., disagreed with Apple’s decision, claiming that BlueMail already has content screening and that other apps on the App Store with comparable AI capabilities don’t have age limitations.
“Unfair targeting”
Users can automate email writing using BlueMail’s new AI functionality by integrating OpenAI’s enduringly popular ChatGPT chatbot into the email client. It checks that its content is appropriate by using events from your calendar and prior emails.
“Apple is genuinely creating barriers for us to bring innovation to our users,” claims Volach. A representative reportedly informed the WSJ(opens in new tab) that the App Review Board is presently looking into the complaint made by Blix.
A test version of the modified app, according to Volach, was examined by Apple every day for a week before it was rejected. Yet, there were no age limits or content filters applied to the Google Play Store listing for the improved Android app.
He thinks Apple is unfairly targeting BlueMail and that age limitations would make it more difficult for them to make the program available to new customers.
Compared to other major tech businesses, Apple appears to be more concerned about the perils of AI. It has been glaringly absent from the present arms race between Google, with its new competitor chatbot Bard and its allegedly extraordinarily potent LamDA AI, and Microsoft, a major investor of OpenAI who recently included its chatbot models into its search engine Bing.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, stated that AI is a “key emphasis of ours” during an earnings call last month(opens in new tab). Nevertheless, for the time being, it appears to be keeping a close eye on the AI in iOS apps.
For the iPhone, Bing’s new mobile application with AI integration is only available to users 17 and older; however, there are no age limits for the Android operating system on Google Play. Although a Microsoft representative told the WSJ that this is always the case because of its capacity to display adult content like a conventional web browser.
The App Store now has the intrusion of artificial intelligence. An update to BlueMail’s service that would have made use of OpenAI’s well-liked ChatGPT engine was scheduled for release. BlueMail is an app that uses AI to write emails and manage users’ schedules. Apple restricted BlueMail’s upgrades because it was worried that it would produce offensive or inappropriate text given ChatGPT’s ability to produce almost any type of text possible.
BlueMail is still available in the App Store thanks to Apple. The app developer was simply prevented from uploading the update without the use of content restriction filters. But, the creator of BlueMail has objected to the decision, claiming that Apple is restricting its efforts to innovate.
Apple’s action occurs as institutions and sectors struggle to adapt to the simple changes emerging generative AI is introducing to content creation tools. While ChatGPT is prohibited in some schools, it is oddly used in others. While some media organizations almost entirely replace their staff with AI, others provide carefully thought-out, conscientious guidelines for how to interact with the technology. Companies, ranging from legal firms to science fiction publications, are preparing for the turmoil AI may bring. As major technology businesses and publications weigh in and decide where to restrict the technology’s use and who is permitted to use it, the discussion over how to employ AI is expected to become much more heated.
The Bingy Update for Windows 11
In relation to generative AI, Microsoft recently updated its Windows 11 os system to include fresh Bing search functions that are supported by AI.
A not-so-cold search battle between Bing and Google began last month when Bing revealed it was integrating ChatGPT into its in-house search service. Microsoft is currently forcing BingAI into the Windows desktop taskbar. Given that Microsoft estimates that over 500 million people use the search bar each month, it seems like a pretty obvious location to put it.
Additional enhancements to Windows 11 include greater phone link capabilities with both Android and iPhones as well as improved accessibility and power functions. Also, the infamous Windows 8 tiles have made a comeback in the shape of improved widgets in the starting menu. Luckily, they are not required.
You have the option of waiting till it installs automatically in the upcoming months or manually downloading the Windows 11 upgrade right now.
Fall Detection for Pixel Watch
Google has entered the smartwatch market fashionably late. The Apple, Samsung, and Garmin smartwatches that dominate the marketplace were years ahead of the Pixel Watch when it was first introduced in October 2022. Google has persevered in developing features for its slick wrist disc despite obstacles. The newest feature is “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” or fall detection. A popup will appear to allow you indicate whether the warning is false if the gadget recognizes that the user has fallen. The Pixel Watches can autonomously dial 911 and coordinate a rescue on your favor if you go a minute without tapping anything.
Although useful to have in a wearable, this technology is susceptible to unintentional positives. Emergency services were erroneously contacted to “assist” users who fell while skiing or went on otherwise safe roller coaster rides after Apple updated its Smartwatch last year to monitor crashes as well as falls. The Pixel watch only detects falls, not crashes, and according to Google, it should be able to distinguish between a fall you take while practicing and a real, incapacitating fall. The Pixel Watch’s sensors, according to the manufacturer, can analyze your body’s “responses and instinctual reflexes” to determine whether you have genuinely damaged yourself or whether you have fallen and are able to get up.
