--- title: "Apple’s New AI Summarized a Series of Breakup Texts in the Most Brutal Way Possible" description: "In some cases, Apple's new AI summaries of iPhone messages might not be ideal. Exhibit A: the breakup text." date: "2024-10-11" modified: "2024-10-11" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/apple-ai-breakup-texts" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "apple" - "chatbots" - "the digest" --- # Apple’s New AI Summarized a Series of Breakup Texts in the Most Brutal Way Possible ![In some cases, Apple's new AI summaries of iPhone messages might not be ideal. Exhibit A: the breakup text.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Ouch That's cold. Apple's latest iOS software update for its iPhones includes a series of [generative AI-enabled]() "Apple Intelligence" upgrades. Among the many upgrades is the option to receive message AI-generated "summaries" of unread messages. But in some scenarios, the feature could have some unintended, albeit hilarious consequences. Exhibit A: the breakup text. A man [took to X-formerly-Twitter]() yesterday to share an utterly devastating screenshot of Apple's new AI message summary feature rounding up a series of breakup texts into succinct bullet points. Despite the emotional subject matter, Apple's AI paraphrased the dude's now-ex-girlfriend's parting messages into the breakup equivalent of Zoom meeting notes. "No longer in a relationship; wants belongings from the apartment," reads the AI summary. "For anyone who's wondered what an Apple Intelligence summary of a breakup text looks like," software developer Nick Spreen captioned the post. In response to skepticism of whether the post was real, Spreen added in a follow-up post that "yes this was real" — and that "yes it was my birthday." It's hard not to laugh at least a *little* at the dystopian screenshot, though we do feel bad that Spreen had to be a guinea pig for this particular slice of Apple's vision for the future of texting. ![]() ## Unreal and Dystopian Spreen, who confirmed the validity of the messages [to *Ars Technica*](), explained that the real breakup texts were "something along the lines of I can't believe you just did that, we're done, I want my stuff." "I do feel like it added a level of distance to it that wasn't a bad thing," Spreen told *Ars*. "Maybe a bit like a personal assistant who stays professional and has your back even in the most awful situations." "But yeah, more than anything it felt unreal and dystopian," he continued. Spreen's experience raises an important product question for Apple: are there some conversations that simply shouldn't be auto-mediated by a chatbot? A breakup notice is brutal enough, but imagine texts about a death in the family, or an ongoing crisis situation, getting neatly folded into AI-sanitized Teams call notes. **More on AI product updates no one asked for:** [*Google Is Stuffing Annoying Ads Into Its Terrible AI Search Feature*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()