The civic group Seoul YMCA announced on April 3rd that the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an investigation into Apple over allegations of false advertising regarding its artificial intelligence (AI) features.

Seoul YMCA explained that the FTC received their complaint and has begun an investigation into Apple's violation of the "Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising." Since last month, Seoul YMCA has been demanding compensation measures, claiming that Apple made false and exaggerated advertisements about the core AI functions of its AI system, "Apple Intelligence."

Seoul YMCA pointed out, "Apple announced that it would support Apple Intelligence through the latest iPhone operating system (iOS) 18.4 update, but key advertised features such as 'on-device next-generation AI Siri' and 'personalized information provision' were missing."

In relation to this, iPhone users in the United States have filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple. The lawsuit argues that Apple's advertising misled consumers into purchasing products at premium prices by falsely claiming they possessed features they did not actually have.

Seoul YMCA stated, "It has also been revealed that there were internal concerns within Apple about these features not working properly as advertised, which has been used as grounds for the lawsuit. However, Apple is still emphasizing 'Korean Apple Intelligence' on its official website and selling products." They further requested, "We urge the FTC to strictly respond through a swift investigation, measures, and indictment to the prosecution to prevent further consumer damage."

Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence, including an AI-integrated voice assistant "Siri," at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June of last year. Apple was expected to release "more personalized" AI features through the iOS 18.4 update, but the postponement of the release of these features to next year has caused controversy.

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