'Piece of sh-t': Apple's AI-powered voicemail transcription mistakenly insults woman
What's the story
A 66-year-old Scottish woman named Louise Littlejohn, recently had an unpleasant experience with Apple's AI-powered voicemail transcription service. The technology, as it turns out, mistakenly converted a routine message from her Land Rover dealership into an offensive text. The message called her a "piece of s***," and even asked if she had "been able to have sex."
Mistake explained
Error attributed to background noise, accent, and scripted speech
The error in the transcription service has been attributed to a number of factors. The caller's Scottish accent, background noise during the call, and the fact that he was reading from a script, all contributed to the AI's misunderstanding. It is believed that these elements led Apple's system to misinterpret "sixth of March" as inappropriate language.
Response
Littlejohn found humor in the transcription error
Despite being initially shocked by the offensive voicemail transcription, Littlejohn saw the funny side of it. She explained that she didn't blame the dealership for this error. "At first, I was shocked, but then I thought it was so funny," she said. The incident is a reminder of the potential pitfalls of AI technology and its use in day-to-day scenarios.
Previous errors
Apple's voice-to-text feature has a history of errors
This isn't the first time Apple's AI-backed voice-to-text feature has made a mistake. Earlier this year, the technology had confused supporters of Donald Trump by incorrectly transcribing "racist" as "Trump."