Apple Dictation Transcribes 'Racist' as 'Trump' [Video]

Apple's dictation feature has been briefly transcribing the word 'racist' as 'Trump' in what appears to be either a technical glitch or a deliberate act of mischief. Reports of this unusual behavior surfaced earlier today, prompting the issue to go viral.

We've repeatedly verified that when the word 'racist' is dictated, 'Trump' momentarily appears on the screen before the software corrects it to the intended term. While this anomaly occurs consistently, it is not exclusive, as other words are occasionally displayed as well. However, those words appear more similar in sound to 'racist'.




According to a report from the NYT, an Apple spokesperson attributed the issue to a "phonetic overlap" between the two words. The company has assured users that it is actively working to resolve the matter. However, this explanation has met with skepticism, as the distinct sound profiles of "racist" and "Trump"—differing in syllable structure, vowel sounds, and consonant placement—make such a mix-up seem improbable.

John Burkey, a former member of Apple's Siri development team, has weighed in on the matter, dismissing the possibility that artificial intelligence training data is the culprit. He suggests instead that the issue likely stems from a deeper, potentially intentional interference within Apple's software ecosystem, pointing to the presence of specific code as a more plausible explanation. "This smells like a serious prank," Burkey said. "The only question is: Did someone slip this into the data or slip into the code?"

Apple, for its part, is likely expediting efforts to eliminate this transcription quirk, which has already garnered significant attention. Give it a try while you can, or check it out in the video below and let us know what you think in the comments. Bug? Or, did someone intentionally cause this?