Apple Voicemail Transcription Service Misinserts Explicit Language in Message to Scottish Woman
Apple's voicemail transcription service incorrectly inserted explicit language and an insult into a routine business voicemail received by a Scottish woman, reportedly due to the AI struggling with the caller's accent, background noise, and script-reading.
What happened
Louise Littlejohn, 66, from Dunfermline, Scotland, received a voicemail from a Lookers Land Rover garage in Motherwell on Wednesday with an invitation to a car event. Apple's AI-powered voicemail transcription service converted the message into text that incorrectly included references to sex and an insult.
The BBC confirmed the original audio was a conventional business call. An expert told the BBC the AI system may have struggled partly due to the caller's Scottish accent, but more likely factors were background noise at the garage and the caller reading from a script.
Reported impact
Mrs Littlejohn said she was initially shocked by the inappropriate text, though she found it amusing in retrospect. The garage, unaware of the transcription error, appeared to have left an insulting message to a customer despite their intention to promote an event.
Index analysis
The transcription was highly jumbled. The reference to "sex" may have resulted from the caller saying "sixth" of March, with the AI system misinterpreting the Scottish accent and acoustic conditions in the garage environment.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.