Apple To Fix iPhone Dictation Bug Replacing ‘Racist’ With ‘Trump’ - 1

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Apple To Fix iPhone Dictation Bug Replacing ‘Racist’ With ‘Trump’

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Users on social media noticed a bug in Apple’s automatic dictation feature that temporarily replaced the word “racist” with “Trump.” The tech giant said they were working on a fix.

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

  • Apple’s dictation tool briefly replaced the word “racist” with “Trump,” sparking debate on social media.
  • Apple blamed a phonetic glitch in its speech recognition model and said a fix was on the way.
  • The bug emerged just after Apple announced a $500 billion U.S. investment plan.

According to the New York Times , the glitch has sparked debate and the story has gone viral on social media platforms like TikTok where users shared videos with the message blip. Reporters confirmed and replicated the anomaly several times.

John Burkey, the founder of Wonderrush.ai and former member of Apple’s Siri team told The New York Times that the issue appeared after an update to Apple’s servers.

“This smells like a serious prank,” said Burkey. “The only question is: Did someone slip this into the data or slip into the code?”

According to Axios , Apple explained that the problem is a phonetic overlap during the speech recognition process, and they were working on a solution.

“We are aware of an issue with the speech recognition model that powers Dictation and we are rolling out a fix today,” said an Apple spokesperson via email.

Some users reported that other words containing the “r” consonant presented the same glitch.

The technical issue was spotted right after Apple announced its $500 billion investment plan in the United States as a sign of support for Trump’s administration.

If the bug is indeed a prank, it wouldn’t be the only tech prank of the week. On Monday hackers played an AI-generated video depicting President Donald Trump sucking Elon Musk’s toes in the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington.

Apple’s AI has previously experienced issues including inaccurate news summaries , generating fake information, and hallucinations. Citizens and news publications shared their concerns and the BBC filed an official complaint to the tech company. A few weeks ago, the tech giant announced an update to the feature to avoid errors.

Alibaba Releases Free AI Video Model, Stock Jumps 5% - 2

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Alibaba Releases Free AI Video Model, Stock Jumps 5%

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has made its video- and image-generating artificial intelligence model, Wan 2.1, publicly available.

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

  • The model ranks first on VBench for video generative AI.
  • Alibaba’s stock rose nearly 5% after the announcement.
  • The company plans a $52 billion investment in AI and cloud computing.

The move is expected to increase adoption and intensify competition in the AI space, particularly against established players like OpenAI, as noted by The Economic Times (ET).

Alibaba announced on Wednesday that it has released four variants of Wan 2.1 —T2V-1.3B, T2V-14B, I2V-14B-720P, and I2V-14B-480P. These models, which generate visuals from text and image inputs, are accessible via Alibaba Cloud’s ModelScope and Hugging Face platforms, says ET.

The “14B” in some versions refers to the model’s capacity to process 14 billion parameters, allowing for more detailed and accurate outputs. The company had introduced the latest version of its AI model in January, initially named Wanx before being rebranded as Wan, as noted by ET.

It claims Wan 2.1 excels in generating highly realistic visuals and has secured the top ranking on VBench , a leaderboard for video-generative models. The model is particularly noted for its ability to depict multi-object interactions.

Reuters notes that Alibaba’s decision follows a similar move by Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which earlier this year released open-source models that gained attention for their strong performance at a lower cost.

DeepSeek’s success surprised industry observers, as AI development is typically capital-intensive. Like DeepSeek’s models, Wan 2.1 can be downloaded and modified by users, setting it apart from proprietary AI systems such as OpenAI’s.

CNBC argues that the release of Wan 2.1 contributes to an ongoing debate about whether AI models will become commoditized. Open-source AI allows developers to refine and build upon existing models, fostering innovation and community engagement.

However, such models do not generate direct revenue, unlike proprietary systems. Despite this, Alibaba has been at the forefront of China’s push toward open-source AI, having launched its first publicly available model in August 2023, as reported by CNBC.

The announcement has had a positive effect on Alibaba’s market performance. Its Hong Kong-listed shares closed nearly 5% higher on Wednesday, as reported by CNBC.

The company’s stock has surged 66% in 2025 so far, benefiting from improved financial results and growing recognition as a key AI player in China. Government support for the private sector under President Xi Jinping has further bolstered investor confidence.

In addition to its AI initiatives, Alibaba unveiled plans this week to invest at least 380 billion yuan ($52 billion) over the next three years to strengthen its cloud computing and AI infrastructure, as observed by Reuters.

In conclusion, Alibaba’s open-source AI push strengthens its position in the industry, fueling competition and innovation.