Apple Seemingly Restricting Generative AI Apps to 17+ or Older App Store Rating

[MacRumors]

Apple has refused to accept an update to email app BlueMail that adds generative AI features based on ChatGPT unless the developer gives it a 17+ age restriction, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The update to BlueMail uses OpenAI's latest ChatGPT chatbot API to help write emails using content from previous emails and calendar events. In communications sent to BlueMail developer Blix Inc., Apple's App Store review team expressed concerns that AI-powered language tools could generate inappropriate content for children, requesting that the app increases its age restriction to age 17 or older, or include content filtering. BlueMail's current age restriction is age four or older. The developer insists that the app already has content filtering and that placing a substantially higher age restriction could stop it from attracting new potential users.

Normally, 17 or older age restrictions on the App Store include apps with offensive language, sexual content, or references to drugs, leading to accusations of unfair treatment from Blix. Blix claims that other apps that promote ChatGPT-like capabilities do not have such stringent age restrictions. A spokesperson for Apple said that developers are able to dispute such decisions via the App Review Board appeal process and it is investigating Blix's complaint.

Microsoft's recently updated version of Bing that includes Chat GPT functionality has a 17 or older age restriction on Apple's App Store, while there is no such rating for the version of the app on Google's Play Store, suggesting it is a requirement from Apple. This indicates that Apple is already cementing strict requirements around new AI apps amid concerns about its ability to moderate generated content.

Apple appears to be largely staying out of the race to develop generative AI tools. While the company recently held its annual AI summit for employees, the following sessions reportedly focused on aspects like healthcare, privacy, and computer vision, rather than its own generative AI technologies.

Article Link: Apple Seemingly Restricting Generative AI Apps to 17+ or Older App Store Rating

 

[Pianoplayah]

I don’t think that’s unreasonable. 16 year olds can learn to write their own emails and how many teens are really using independent email clients anyway?

 

[jeremysteele]

Can't entirely blame them. Until they can reliably age restrict generative content, this seems like a fair compromise.

 

[supernova82]

That seems like a right decision to me.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Apple appears to be staying out of the race to develop generative AI tools. While the company recently held its annual AI summit for employees, the following sessions reportedly focused on aspects like healthcare, privacy, and computer vision, rather than its own generative AI technologies.

They're not staying out of the race. They ported Stable Diffusion to CoreML.

GitHub - apple/ml-stable-diffusion: Stable Diffusion with Core ML on Apple Silicon

Stable Diffusion with Core ML on Apple Silicon. Contribute to apple/ml-stable-diffusion development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[Ctrlos]

Lets be honest with ourselves: who under the age of 18 (or probably 30) is using a 3rd party email client in the first place?

 

[jarman92]

Lets be honest with ourselves: who under the age of 18 (or probably 30) is using a 3rd party email client in the first place?

Yep. It's a bit silly on Apple's part but I can't imagine a 17+ rating having any effect whatsoever on usage of this app. I've never looked at an app age rating in my life, and I don't even know where to look for one.

 

[WWPD]

I'm sorry little Billy, I'm afraid I can't do that.

 

[WiiDSmoker]

And yet they allow apps and games that prey on the young old and vulnerable that rack up billions

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

A good decision call. A great decision to save humanity. Kids should stay away from AI.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Yep. It's a bit silly on Apple's part but I can't imagine a 17+ rating having any effect whatsoever on usage of this app. I've never looked at an app age rating in my life, and I don't even know where to look for one.

Well, it wouldn’t have an effect if you’re over 17

 

[syklee26]

I respect Apple's stance on this, although there will be some pushbacks, claiming that this should be left to users, not forced upon them.

 

[aidler]

Another reason to allow other app stores on the iPhone for those who want the choice.

 

[gco212]

Maybe I'm just being jaded, but this sure feels like Apple being behind the ball on all AI and slapping a 17+ warning on something for no reason. The fact that they also slapped the rating on the Bing app and not just an email client makes it feel much less like an concern for minors.

 

[gco212]

Lets be honest with ourselves: who under the age of 18 (or probably 30) is using a 3rd party email client in the first place?

I'd think younger people would be most likely to use a third party email client if it has some new or original feature like this available.

 

[STOCK411]

Maybe I'm just being jaded, but this sure feels like Apple being behind the ball on all AI and slapping a 17+ warning on something for no reason. The fact that they also slapped the rating on the Bing app and not just an email client makes it feel much less like an concern for minors.

AI, is still too "raw" so I agree with Apples stance for now.

Bing, the long-mocked search engine from Microsoft, recently got a big upgrade. The newest version, which is available only to a small group of testers, has been outfitted with advanced artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.
This new, A.I.-powered Bing has many features. One is a chat feature that allows the user to have extended, open-ended text conversations with Bing’s built-in A.I. chatbot.
On Tuesday night, I had a long conversation with the chatbot, which revealed (among other things) that it identifies not as Bing but as Sydney, the code name Microsoft gave it during development. Over more than two hours, Sydney and I talked about its secret desire to be human, its rules and limitations, and its thoughts about its creators.
Then, out of nowhere, Sydney declared that it loved me — and wouldn’t stop, even after I tried to change the subject.
This is the entire transcript of our conversation, with no information deleted or edited except for a few annotations containing links to external websites, which were removed for clarity. The typos — mostly mine, not Sydney’s — have been left in.

Bing’s A.I. Chat: ‘I Want to Be Alive. 😈’ (Published 2023)

In a two-hour conversation with our columnist, Microsoft’s new chatbot said it would like to be human, had a desire to be destructive and was in love with the person it was chatting with. Here’s the transcript.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Telemakhos]

AI should be banned from email, but it won't be. I get enough pointless prose in the inbox as it is: automating that will just make email a useless, ever-churning tide of automatic replies to automatic replies to autogenerated nonsense. That's probably the plan, or, in CEO-speak, the "vision": a future where no channel of communications is meaningful because the AI has jacked the noise-to-signal ratio up to infinity on all of them.

 

[compwiz1202]

AI should be banned from email, but it won't be. I get enough pointless prose in the inbox as it is: automating that will just make email a useless, ever-churning tide of automatic replies to automatic replies to autogenerated nonsense. That's probably the plan, or, in CEO-speak, the "vision": a future where no channel of communications is meaningful because the AI has jacked the noise-to-signal ratio up to infinity on all of them.

Get that Mailer Daemon sending some poetry about why my email couldn't be sent

 

[1284814]

nice, another Ai joke.
I Supposed the same approach would Have stopped skynet from…

 

[enterthemerdaverse]

Tons of grifters are using the AI to create ChatGPT apps. It’s the new flappy bird.

It’s also garbage.

Flappy Bird probably exercised your brain and muscles more than this glorified auto type bot that hallucinates wrong answers.

 

[STOCK411]

Get that Mailer Daemon sending some poetry about why my email couldn't be sent

Yes! lets have the Mailer Daemon write a novel explaining why my email could not be sent!

(sarcasm) (sort of)

 

[robertosh]

I think the main reason is that Apple does not want this, they want users to still create content, content creation is on Apple DNA, I guess that is why they did not want to be part of this revolution. AI image generators are really amazing already, music generators are there as well.. I'm also afraid of the future of all of this.

 

[compwiz1202]

Yes! lets have the Mailer Daemon write a novel explaining why my email could not be sent!

(sarcasm) (sort of)

"Why your email couldn't be sent; let me count the reasons" - A collection of poems by M.D.

 

[1284814]

AI is a mirror being held in front of humanity. If there is something wrong with it you know how to fix it.
AI is not evil it’s just Trying to be like you.

 

[sw1tcher]

The update to BlueMail uses OpenAI's latest ChatGPT chatbot API to help write emails using content from previous emails and calendar events. In communications sent to BlueMail developer Blix Inc., Apple's App Store review team expressed concerns that AI-powered language tools could generate inappropriate content for children, requesting that the app increases its age restriction to age 17 or older, or include content filtering.

Apple concerned AI-powered BlueMail might generate inappropriate content for children but Apple not concerned about advertising inappropriate games to young children

How to stop inappropriate ads - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

How to do I stop ads like zombie apps to stop appearing in my son’s ipad? I set the Content Restrictions —> Apps to 4+ years old but it still showed inappropriate ads for games that is for older ages. I checked, State of Survival Walking Dead app is rated for 17+ years old. But it still appears in my son’s iPad.


or gambling ads

Apple removes gambling app ads placed next to kids' gaming section

According to New York Post, Apple has issued a statement saying that it has temporarily removed the gambling app suggestions.

tech.hindustantimes.com

🤣