Google has issued an apology for mistakenly publishing a news alert featuring an offensive slur. This incident stemmed from a live event during the BAFTA ceremony, where audience member John Davidson, a Tourette’s activist, unintentionally yelled the N-word.
The notification that Google sent out included the uncensored slur and encouraged readers to learn more. The tech company explained that this error occurred because their safety filters failed to catch the offensive term. Specifically, their systems misidentified a euphemism found on some web pages, resulting in the improper usage in the alert.
A Google spokesperson acknowledged the mistake on Tuesday, assuring that they are taking steps to eliminate the offensive notification and prevent similar incidents in the future. They clarified that artificial intelligence wasn’t involved in this error.
Davidson, who was attending the BAFTAs while co-stars from his film Sinners participated in the Visual Effects Awards, expressed his frustration about the situation.
In response to the incident, Instagram content creator Danny Price highlighted Google’s mistake through his own post, remarking on what an interesting Black History Month it has been.
This isn’t the first time tech platforms have faced issues with misleading news alerts. Last year, Apple discontinued a similar AI feature in response to false headlines spreading through its news and entertainment applications.
