Apple blocked update of email app BlueMail with language tools based on artificial intelligence fearing that it may generate inappropriate content for children, according to communications Apple sent to the app maker.
BlueMail’s new AI feature uses the latest OpenAI ChatGPT chatbot to help automate email composition using past email content and calendar events.
The dispute highlights widespread concern about whether artificial intelligence tools for language generation, such as ChatGPT, are ready for widespread use.
ChatGPT allows users to chat with an AI in a human-like manner and is capable of writing advanced long texts on various topics.
“Your app includes AI-generated content, but doesn’t seem to include content filtering at this time”said Apple’s app review team last week in a developer message.
Apple’s app review team said that because the app may produce content that isn’t appropriate for all audiences, BlueMail should increase its age restriction to 17 or older, or include content filtering, as the documents show.
Currently, the app restriction is set for users aged 4 and over. Apple’s age restriction of 17 years and older is for app categories that can include anything from offensive language to sexual content and drug references.
So-called generative AI has become one of the most watched development technologies in decades, mainly thanks to ChatGPT, a chatbot created by OpenAI.
The technology was not slow to generate controversy. After the launch of Microsoft’s Bing search engine with ChatGPT, early adopters were concerned about responses generated by the chatbot, which included incorrect information and seemingly off-key responses. Microsoft, which has invested billions in OpenAI, defended the Bing upgrade as a work in progress.
