The beta AI on the new iPhone has been summarizing breakup texts. We can't decide if this is taking the sting out of interpersonal communication or if it's taking out the soul.

The dreaded breakup message. The worst notification you can receive on your phone is the free trial that you intended to cancel rolling over. Apple's AI update can summarize texts so that you don't need to read them manually. This is both creepy and genius when it comes to serious texts.

Apple Intelligence summarized the text of a viral tweet that went viral this week. It said:

"No longer in relationship; wants possessions from the apartment."

Apple Intelligence's latest beta is available to owners of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. They can also sign up now for the iPhone 16 line. Apple Intelligence is still lacking many of the key features that were advertised, but it is slowly rolling out to iPhone owners.

Apple Intelligence is Apple’s AI implementation. It promises on-device AI uses such as generative text summarization and emojis, while ChatGPT picks up the slack by providing its search and writing features. The full beta release is expected in December, but the original poster was able to access the text summarization feature by signing up for an early beta.

While other Twitter users may be understandably scared and sympathetic to the original poster, some have found comfort in the idea of an AI summation. One user said "I'm not ironically into this, but I'm different emotionally" Another user says "Low-key this is really nice... AI cuts through all the bs to get you the information you need ...". Some users rebut it, one user saying "Have You ever Processed a Human Emotion... Ever?"

It's ironic that this is a post about AI. However, the original post can be a bit difficult to navigate because verified accounts and bots dominate the top replies. Scrolling down, you will see heated debates about whether this is a positive or negative thing, both culturally and interpersonally.

Some see AI as a tool that can help navigate difficult emotional spaces. Others see it as a parody on the bad uses of AI. Some people believe it can help users process their emotions, while others think it can stunt the emotional growth which can come out of these times of turmoil.

As a skeptic of generative AI, I doubt I'd ever use this function. Not only is there nuance in language that a summary might struggle to pick up, but I also think that, given the heightened emotions of a breakup I would want to read this text myself.

This is before mentioning the coded language that comes from a long relationship--phrases, unique in-jokes, and terminology. I think that the summary would only make me feel more anxious, and prolong the fear around a situation such as this. I don't like receiving breakup texts, so I won't be getting one from my AI.