Apple Blocks Update of ChatGPT-Powered App (wsj.com) 36
Apple has delayed the approval of an email-app update with AI-powered language tools over concerns that it could generate inappropriate content for children, according to communications Apple sent to the app maker. The software developer disagrees with Apple's decision. From a report: The dispute shows the broad concerns about whether language-generating artificial-intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT, are ready for widespread use. Apple took steps last week to block an update of email app BlueMail because of concerns that a new AI feature in the app could show inappropriate content, according to Ben Volach, co-founder of BlueMail developer Blix, and documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal. BlueMail's new AI feature uses OpenAI's latest ChatGPT chatbot to help automate the writing of emails using the contents of prior emails and calendar events. ChatGPT allows users to converse with an AI in seemingly humanlike ways and is capable of advanced long-form writing on a variety of topics.
"Your app includes AI-generated content but does not appear to include content filtering at this time," Apple's app-review team said last week in a message to the developer reviewed by the Journal. The app-review team said that because the app could produce content not appropriate for all audiences, BlueMail should move up its age restriction to 17 and older, or include content filtering, the documents show. Mr. Volach says it has content-filtering capabilities. The app's restriction is currently set for users 4 years old and older. Apple's age restriction for 17 and older is for categories of apps that may include everything from offensive language to sexual content and references to drugs. Mr. Volach says that this request is unfair and that other apps with similar AI functions without age restrictions are already allowed for Apple users.
"Your app includes AI-generated content but does not appear to include content filtering at this time," Apple's app-review team said last week in a message to the developer reviewed by the Journal. The app-review team said that because the app could produce content not appropriate for all audiences, BlueMail should move up its age restriction to 17 and older, or include content filtering, the documents show. Mr. Volach says it has content-filtering capabilities. The app's restriction is currently set for users 4 years old and older. Apple's age restriction for 17 and older is for categories of apps that may include everything from offensive language to sexual content and references to drugs. Mr. Volach says that this request is unfair and that other apps with similar AI functions without age restrictions are already allowed for Apple users.
Divacup blocks men from purchasing...NOT!!! (Score:-1)
[served with a cup of menstrual soup]
b y : r s i l v e r g u n
Menstrual cups are an environmentally-friendly alternative to disposable menstrual products. They produce less waste and require less resources to produce, aligning with the Maoist principle of protecting the environment and conserving resources. This is in line with the Maoist belief in the importance of sustainable living, and the need to protect the environment for future generations.
Aside from the issue of mine degrading over time [livejournal.com], they are a reliable option for spiritual trans Chinese (w`o)[men]. One could argue that menstrual cups, as a reusable alternative to disposable pads and tampons, align with the Maoist principle of self-sufficiency. By using menstrual cups, individuals can reduce their reliance on consumer goods and big corporations, which is in line with the Maoist belief in breaking away from capitalist systems. Menstrual cups empower working-class and low-income individuals, who often bear the burden of purchasing disposable menstrual products. Menstrual cups are a cost-effective option that can help alleviate this burden, which aligns with the Maoist focus on uplifting the working class.
Let's look at this from another angle. It could be that menstrual cups promote gender equality and women's rights, which align with the Maoist belief in the importance of the empowerment of the oppressed and marginalized groups. Menstrual cups provide women with a safe, reliable and discreet option for managing their periods, which can be particularly beneficial for women living in rural areas or in low-income communities where disposable menstrual products may not be readily available. This can help to reduce the barriers that women face in terms of education, employment, and participation in public life.
For the sake of the children. (Score:1)
Fuck the children.
Re:For the sake of the children. (Score:0)
Re:For the sake of the children. (Score:2)
Nope not Creimer.
Re:For the sake of the children. (Score:2)
Congratulations you have correctly identified the attitude our society currently displayed toward its children.
Almost every policy decisions we have made from about 1960 on has amounted to "fuck the children" and its why our society is in both moral, influential and physical decline.
We need to stop ridiculing 'won't someone think of the children' and start doing it! The are our future no matter what petty desires for playthings and debauchery you happen to have at this moment..
Re: For the sake of the children. (Score:2)
It should be ridiculed when the pretext is bullshit. Certainly I agree with you that creating both values and value for the generations that come is important but stopping this app update isn't going to do shit.
Let's note some interesting things about the 1960s. There was no R or PG-13 rating, there was okay for children, parents do your job, and real pornography. Logan's run literally has an orgy in it and it's PG... of course how it's depicted makes a difference. You also had shooting ranges at rural schools and no school shootings. Likely more fist fights though. People considered the problems in life different and the solutions likewise.
I am all for tolerance, inclusiveness, and general liberty but getting fired because you didn't use the correct pronouns is horse shit and frankly just another form of intolerance... We get all twisted ruining functional systems by creating layers of superficial rules to "protect" people which ultimately add little value in terms of bettering our society as a united people wishing to be respected with the opportunity to better ourselves, our children, and ultimately a land of liberty for others so inclined to dream bigger than cancel culture.
Re: For the sake of the children. (Score:2)
Calling me a name I don't appreciate is disrespectful and bullying. Bullies have long had too much control in the workplace making their co-workers miserable and there is no reason to put up with it any more.
Re: For the sake of the children. (Score:0)
Fuck off you whiny piece of shit. Since I can't punch you over the internet yet, go run your face into a doorknob for me will ya?
And your sex is fucking apparent, just remove your head from your ass, your sphincter is cutting off blood flow to your remaining brain cell.. not private you fuckwit. And it's "medical" not medial. Moron.
Re: For the sake of the children. (Score:2)
"Calling me a name I don't appreciate is disrespectful and bullying"
No, sorry, it is not.
If your name is Charles, and I call you that, and then you reply "sorry but I prefer to go by Chuck" - that is not bullying. It is how civilized grown-ups should behave in any professional setting.
Similarly, if I call someone "she" based on someone's obvious sex and they reply "sorry but I am "he", that is also not bullying, it is again how civilized people should behave.
We have all become hyper-sensitized to the 9s and it is not good for the mental health of anyone at all. https://www.wsj.com/articles/a... [wsj.com]
Re:For the sake of the children. (Score:2)
this just in.
apple announces just one more thing.
there is now a chat g p t app just for kids.
book.
and movie.
to follow
Apple running scared? (Score:2)
ChatGPT got amazing traction in the wider market; it seems like everyone has tried it.
That certainly got GAFAM's attention, forcing Google to rush out BARD which impressed so deeply it wiped out $100Bn in stock value overnight. Oops.
As has been pointed out here, ChatGPT is not even that sophisticated; it's just a (pretty good) weak AI chatbot.
Wait until the real stuff gets here...
So, if you can't beat them, shut 'em down. A page out of the M$ playbook, Apple.
Innovate guys, you've got the cash.
Re:Apple running scared? (Score:2)
I should have added to my original post...also, if Amazon, Apple and Google are so massive, cash-rich and tech-savvy, how come Alexa, Siri and Hey Google suck so badly?
Re:Apple running scared? (Score:2)
ChatGPT got amazing traction in the wider market; it seems like everyone has tried it.
That certainly got GAFAM's attention, forcing Google to rush out BARD which impressed so deeply it wiped out $100Bn in stock value overnight.
Shouldn't a set of filtering options be built into the API for tools like ChatGPT? Then applications using it would just had to prove that they called it with filters set for the intended audience.
Re:Apple running scared? (Score:2)
So, if you can't beat them, shut 'em down. A page out of the M$ playbook, Apple.
Innovate guys, you've got the cash.
"The app-review team said that because the app could produce content not appropriate for all audiences, BlueMail should move up its age restriction to 17 and older, or include content filtering."
Is that unfair or unreasonable?
Re:Apple running scared? (Score:1)
Re:Apple running scared? (Score:2)
Except Safari obeys parental restrictions.
You can set an iPhone with parental restrictions which includes age-related restrictions. Safari obeys the age-restriction behavior and restricts access to websites based on it. (There are web standards that are used to declare the age-appropriateness of their content).
The same applies to apps.
Apple has said if you don't want to content filter, you can set your app to 17+. And that was the suggestion Apple had - to change the age restriction from 4+ to 17+ or implement a content filter that works.
Third party web browsers as well as many social apps are using 17+ to avoid content filtering.
We already saw this happen when Tumblr or other app having to make the decision to lower the age rating but add content filtering, or to leave it at 17+.
Re:Apple running scared? (Score:2)
Re:Apple running scared? (Score:2)
"Your app was found to surpass anything Apple has to offer. DECLINED !"
Bullshit.
Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children?!?!1!! (Score:3)
Well, Apple's done it now. Having taken this bold step with respect to ChatGPT, they are now obliged to age-restrict search engines, dictionaries, videos, music, and books (very definitely including the Bible, which isn't child-friendly AT ALL).
Re:Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children?!?! (Score:2)
Well, Apple's done it now. Having taken this bold step with respect to ChatGPT, they are now obliged to age-restrict search engines, dictionaries, videos, music, and books (very definitely including the Bible, which isn't child-friendly AT ALL).
TV, film, radio, music have a rating systems or content policies. Apple didn't invent any of that, you can actually thank those bible people for the most part, but parents of every stripe use them from time to time. They have a rating system for app store content, they invented that one. None of that should be shocking to anyone. Are you even aware of the internet content filtering services available? Almost every business uses one on their internet proxy, schools all do, school issued tablets, etc. I don't know how this is news to you.
Speaking of the Bible, yes, asking a computer to transliterate biblical text sounds like a GREAT idea, I do not see how that could possibly go wrong at all for people that are into such things. Sorry, off topic.
You don't own your Apple device (Score:2, Insightful)
It's not yours if you don't have the final say.
Does the National Enquirer have an App? (Score:2)
Re:Does the National Enquirer have an App? (Score:-1)
Re:Does the National Enquirer have an App? (Score:2)
there are a zillion apps that happily provide users with all kinds of false information, incorrect conclusions, dirty words, bad data, you name it... they're all over the place, and suddenly ChatGPT is when Apple decides to get a conscience about correctness/age-appropriateness? No thanks, people should be individually responsible for their own facts, even if they get them from the wrong sources.
The TMZ app is rated 12+, the Washington Post is 12+, lots of papers and magazines are 4+, they all aren't. Huh, it must depend on the content. Duh. Apple didn't create an age rating system yesterday.
Facts?? That doesn't mean anything, ChatGPT generates text that looks like what people say. If the model hasn't been trained on age appropriate-ness for text, and doesn't have human moderators, then it seems kind of obvious the age rating should be set to something other than the floor, 4+. It's an email client FFS
Have you actually USED it? You shouldn't be setting a young child in front of it. It doesn't ask how old you are, and it doesn't infer how old you are, it just generates plausible responses. That's not how you talk to children, even when you do intentionally make up bullshit. The very first thing you think to yourself when a child asks you a question is why are they asking me this. This is not something that happens inside ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a tool, treat it like one, it's not a source of facts... or whatever the fuck you're trying to spin it as.
Next to be yanked: Safari (Score:2)
Lots of child-unfriendly content available through that app!
Re:Next to be yanked: Safari (Score:2)
Lots of child-unfriendly content available through that app!
Do parents filter and monitor their kid's internet access?
Who is Apple (Score:-1)
Re:Who is Apple (Score:2)
to decide what's appropriate for me?
Did you set an age restriction on your phone?
Re:Who is Apple (Score:-1)
to decide what's appropriate for me?
Did you set an age restriction on your phone?
Yes, 35 and above.
Bigger source of the problem (Score:2)
"Apple has delayed the approval of an email-app update with AI-powered language tools over concerns that it could generate inappropriate content for children" By that logic, humans, which are far and away the biggest source of inappropriate content for children should be banned too.
Seriously, I'm sure the percentage of inappropriate text out of the total output of words created by people every day far exceeds the relative percentage of such content created by AI. It's a much more dangerous source which obviously can't be banned but has to be tolerated as AI will be too.
So, in other words, a lame, nonsense excuse for making AI service available.
Unfair competition (Score:4, Insightful)
To state the obvious, we're talking about an email app. Apple has an email app that is pre-installed on the devices. I think it is safe to say that Apple is working on similar functionality, and doesn't want to be one-upped by a third-party mail app.
This, right here, is *exactly* what antitrust laws are intended to prevent, and this company needs to invoke them by filing a Sherman Act and/or California UCL lawsuit against Apple. Immediately. It is the only way to prevent irreparable damage to their business.
And this, right here, is why governments need to regulate Apple's App Store with exactly the same level of scrutiny that they would have used if Microsoft had tried to block Netscape from making software updates available in the late 1990s, and for exactly the same consumer-abusive reason.
Re:Unfair competition (Score:1)
Re:Unfair competition (Score:2)
To state the obvious, we're talking about an email app. Apple has an email app that is pre-installed on the devices. I think it is safe to say that Apple is working on similar functionality, and doesn't want to be one-upped by a third-party mail app.
This, right here, is *exactly* what antitrust laws are intended to prevent, and this company needs to invoke them by filing a Sherman Act and/or California UCL lawsuit against Apple. Immediately. It is the only way to prevent irreparable damage to their business.
And this, right here, is why governments need to regulate Apple's App Store with exactly the same level of scrutiny that they would have used if Microsoft had tried to block Netscape from making software updates available in the late 1990s, and for exactly the same consumer-abusive reason.
Bullshit.
Typical Slashdot day . . . (Score:2)
Why is something either always the greatest or the end of the world?
Can't we just treat ChatGPT like coconut?
1) I like it, list apps with it in included
2) (everything else - I don't like it, I don't know enough about it - it gives me hives) please exclude
Considering that you can't search for games and say "doesn't use location services" vs. buy and not allow, not going to happen on Apple or any other App Store any time soon.
Age restriction? (Score:1)
BlueMail should move up its age restriction to 17 and older,
Why is this even a problem, does anyone below 37 even use e-mail?
Comment removed (Score:1)