Meta apologizes after auto-translation mistakenly announces Indian state chief minister's death
The chief minister of the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka posted on Instagram Tuesday in the local Kannada language, saying he was paying his respects to the late Indian actress B. Saroja Devi. He also paid tribute to the actress on Facebook and X.
However, Meta's auto-translation tool inaccurately translated the Instagram post to suggest that Siddaramaiah, who uses just one name, was the one who 'passed away.'
'Chief Minister Siddaramaiah passed away yesterday multilingual star, senior actress B. Took darshan of Sarojadevi's earthly body and paid his last respects,' the erroneous, garbled translation read, CNN affiliate News 18 reported.
A Meta spokesperson told news agency Press Trust of India Thursday: 'We fixed an issue that briefly caused this inaccurate Kannada translation. We apologize that this happened.'
Politician calls for use of 'grossly misleading' tool to be halted
Also on Thursday, Siddaramaiah criticized the auto-translation tool as 'dangerous' in posts on Facebook and X, adding that such 'negligence' from tech giants 'can harm public understanding & trust.'
His posts included a photo of an email his office sent to Meta (META) voicing 'a serious concern' about the auto-translation tool on its platforms, 'particularly Facebook and Instagram.'
The email, which had the subject line 'Urgent Request to Address Faulty Auto-Translation of Kannada Content on Meta Platforms,' urged the tech company to 'temporarily suspend' its auto-translation tool for content written in Kannada 'until the translation accuracy is reliably improved.'
His office also requested that Meta work with Kannada language experts to improve the feature.
Kannada is the official language of Karnataka and is also spoken in bordering Indian states. Some 45 million people spoke Kannada as their first language in the early 2010s, and another 15 million spoke it as their second language, based on the latest available data.
The email from Siddaramaiah's office calls Meta's auto-translation from Kannada to English 'frequently inaccurate and, in some cases, grossly misleading.'
'This poses a significant risk, especially when public communications, official statements, or important messages from the Chief Minister and the Government are incorrectly translated. It can lead to misinterpretation among users, many of whom may not realise that what they are reading is an automated and faulty translation rather than the original message,' it continues.
'Given the sensitivity of public communication, especially from a constitutional functionary like the Chief Minister, such misrepresentations due to flawed translation mechanisms are unacceptable,' it adds.
As of Friday, the auto-translation of Siddaramaiah's Instagram post reads: 'The multilingual star, senior actress B Sarojadevi who passed away yesterday, paid his last respects,' which still appears to be inaccurate.
CNN has reached out to Meta and the Karnataka chief minister's office for further comment.
The incident comes months after the US tech giant apologized for a technical error that led some Instagram users to see graphic, violent videos.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
9 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egyptian-Japanese KOSEN Institute opens admissions for preparatory school graduates - Society
Egypt's Education Development Fund (EDF) has announced the opening of admissions to the Egyptian-Japanese KOSEN Institute in 10th of Ramadan City for students holding a preparatory school certificate, starting 21 July and closing on 31 July at 4pm. EDF Secretary General Rasha Sharaf said this year's admission is available to students who scored 85 percent or higher in their preparatory stage, according to an EDF statement on Tuesday. She added that the institute offers a unique educational experience in partnership with Japan, aiming to produce highly qualified graduates with top-tier technological skills. KOSEN is a five-year higher education institution in Japan, where students can enrol at the age of 15 after graduating from junior high school, to foster engineers in high demand by society. Inspired by this model, Egypt has adopted the KOZEN programme. This five-year advanced engineering education system focuses on early field exposure to connect students with real-world market needs. On 15 July, Egypt signed a cooperation protocol with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to officially launch the programme. Under the agreement, the first group of students will begin the five-year Japanese-inspired engineering diploma in September at the Productivity and Vocational Training Authority centre in 10th of Ramadan City. The diploma qualifies graduates to enrol in technological universities, engineering faculties, and computer science colleges, ensuring a smooth transition into higher education and careers in high-demand technical fields. Application procedures, entrance test Sharaf noted that passing a written entrance exam, followed by a personal interview to assess the student's vocational aptitude and basic skill level, is among the admission requirements. Application procedures begin by creating a personal account on the fund's official website, verifying the email through a confirmation message, registering for the entrance test, selecting an appropriate exam centre, and uploading all required documents to the platform. Sharaf affirmed that all applicants will be contacted with their test dates and payment instructions for the exam fees. The admission test for the institute is a multidisciplinary exam conducted in two sessions, each lasting 90 minutes. The exam covers four subjects: Mathematics, Science, English Language, and IQ. Each subject consists of 60 questions and is administered in English. Examinations will be held from 4 to 13 August 2025, and the passing score is 50 out of a maximum of 100. Moreover, Sharaf highlighted a cooperation protocol signed between the fund and Misr El Kheir Foundation to offer 100 scholarships covering 50 percent of tuition fees for outstanding and financially disadvantaged students, provided they pass the entrance assessments. She also reaffirmed the fund's commitment to supporting high-achieving students, who are interested in modern technological education that aligns with labour market demands and offers real development opportunities. "This effort aligns with the state's vision to enhance the quality and outcomes of technological education in support of comprehensive development," she concluded. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Independent
2 days ago
- Egypt Independent
Tim Cook was hand-picked to lead Apple. Some say it's time for him to go
New York CNN — Two research analysts made waves last week when they called for a major shakeup at tech giant Apple. The analysts weren't suggesting a logo or product redesign. Instead, they called for the replacement of Tim Cook, the CEO who directly succeeded Steve Jobs in 2011 and helped catapult the company to its $3 trillion valuation. Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone of LightShed Partners, a New York-based technology, media and telecommunications research firm, are questioning whether Cook is still the right person to lead one of the world's most valuable companies amid concerns that it's fallen behind in AI — a technology that's already disrupting work, education and other facets of everyday life. Apple has already faced pressure to come up with a new hit product as sales of smartphones, Apple's biggest revenue driver, have slowed across the industry. 'Apple now needs a product-focused CEO, not one centered on logistics,' the pair wrote on July 9. An Apple store on September 20, 2024, in Kuala Lumpur, Cook would be a high-stakes move for Apple; the company is already undergoing leadership changes elsewhere in the C-suite, and changing CEOs could further pull focus away from running Apple's core business. Cook is also widely supported by Apple's board and has 'staying power akin to other captains of industry' such as Disney's Bob Iger and JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who has long tracked Apple's business strategy. There's no evidence to indicate Cook is going anywhere soon. Shares of Apple (AAPL) have skyrocketed under Cook's tenure, during which he's also built other lucrative products after the iPhone's success — such as smartwatches, earbuds and digital services. To be sure, the LightShed note is just one take in a crowded field of analysts and researchers who follow Apple's business. But it is perhaps an indication that Apple's AI setbacks are bigger than a standard product delay — to some, they're shaking confidence in Apple's ability to innovate. And Piecyk and Galone aren't the only ones questioning whether Apple needs fresh leadership. 'He's a supply chain guy. They need a tech visionary,' said Ted Mortonson, managing director and technology sector strategist at financial services company Baird. 'I think they're in a lot more trouble than some people think.' Apple did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Apple's challenges in 2025 Apple has grappled with a litany of challenges so far in 2025, among them: President Donald Trump's tariff threats; fresh restrictions from the European Union on how it runs its valuable App Store; and a federal judge allowing an antitrust lawsuit alleging it has monopolized the smartphone market to proceed. But concerns about the iPhone maker's slow progress in AI have been front and center. The company in March said it's delaying a long-awaited update to Siri that would have enabled it to answer more complex questions with personalized answers and handle tasks on a user's behalf. That type of change would bring Siri closer to more modern AI agents like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The company hasn't said much about when the revamped Siri will arrive aside from needing 'more time to reach our high-quality bar,' Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said in June at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference. The concern is broader than Siri alone, it's that Apple doesn't seem to have much to show for its AI efforts so far, Creative Strategies CEO and principal analyst Ben Bajarin told CNN earlier this year. Apple has shaken up its AI leadership in an effort to accelerate its efforts in the space, according to Bloomberg. Apple Intelligence, which arrived in 2024 following the iPhone 16's September launch, includes tools that can summarize notifications, transcribe phone calls, erase objects in photos, and use an iPhone's camera to search Google or prompt ChatGPT and create images. Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California, on June 9, 2025. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images Although Apple delayed the Siri update, it did announce a batch of new AI features coming this fall, including live-language translation, AI-generated workout insights for the Apple Watch and enhancements to existing features. But many of these upgrades are Apple playing catch-up to tools already offered by other tech companies, and may not be enough to position Apple as a leader. '(Cook) has done a great job of getting Apple to where it is, but the environment certainly has changed,' said Thomas Martin, partner and senior portfolio manager at investment firm Globalt. 'They are really struggling on the AI front. It's a different animal, because AI is software, and Apple is traditionally almost exclusively hardware.' Under Cook's watch, other high-profile products or projects have fallen short of expectations in recent years. Last year, Apple launched the $3,500 Vision Pro headset, heralding it as the future of computing. But more than a year on, it remains a niche, novelty device as some of Apple's competitors are moving ahead with more stylish and practical augmented reality glasses. A person wears Vision Pro headset the product release at the Apple Store in New York City on February 2, 2024. The Vision Pro, the tech giant's $3,499 headset, is its first major release since the Apple Watch nine years ago. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images Also in 2024, Apple reportedly ended a decade-long effort to build an electric car, known internally as Project Titan, pulling the plug on what was believed to be an ambitious, expensive endeavor. Apple has made other significant changes to its leadership. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri was replaced at the start of 2025, although he remains vice president of corporate services according to Apple's website. And the company announced that longtime Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams will leave the post this month and retire this year. Tough shoes to fill Cook, 64, has been Apple's CEO for nearly 14 years and is widely respected for his operational acumen. He stepped out of the shadow of one of America's most iconic CEOs, Steve Jobs, and built a global supply chain and ecosystem of products and services that maintained Apple's place as one of the world's most valuable companies. He also carved out an important role for Apple in the digital health space with the Apple Watch, which was introduced in 2014 and was the first major new product launched under Cook's tenure. Apple is now a market leader in wearable technology, which includes both the Apple Watch and other devices like its AirPods — it claimed nearly a quarter of the global market for wearables as of the fourth quarter of 2024, according to market research firm the International Data Corporation. Under Cook's leadership, Apple's market cap went from just over $342 billion in August 2011 to roughly $3 trillion today. Even the two LightShed Partners analysts have acknowledged that Cook has done 'a great job.' 'To be clear, Tim Cook was the right CEO at the time of his appointment and unquestionably has done a great job,' the analysts wrote. And further change to Apple's executive ranks might hinder their efforts to expand in AI.
Egypt Independent
3 days ago
- Egypt Independent
Astronomer CEO officially resigns after Coldplay concert scandal
The technology startup Astronomer announced the official resignation of CEO Andy Byron on Saturday evening, following a scandal involving an affair with the company's human resources director at a Coldplay concert, CNN reported. Byron was suspended on Friday, and the company announced a formal investigation into the matter. The company's board is currently searching for a new CEO, with co-founder Pete DeJoy appointed interim CEO. Incident Details During a Coldplay concert on Wednesday, Byron appeared on the big screen hugging Kristin Cabot, the company's human resources manager. When he noticed that they are on the screen, Byron, who is married with children, tried to hide. Chris Martin, frontman of the British rock band Coldplay, jokingly commented, 'Either they're cheating or they're very shy.' A video of the incident went viral online. Company Statement Astronomer released a statement saying, 'Andy Byron has submitted his resignation, and the board has accepted it. We will begin the search for a new CEO, while Pete DeJoy continues to lead the company in the interim.' It added 'Before this week, we were software leaders, helping data teams power modern analytics and artificial intelligence. As previously stated, Astronomer has adhered to ethical standards that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set standards of conduct and accountability. Recently, that standard has not been met.' In May, Astronomer raised US$93 million in funding led by Bain Ventures and with participation from other investors such as Salesforce Ventures. The company now faces the challenge of rebuilding its reputation after the scandal.
