Key TakeawaysOn Tuesday, iPhone users noticed that often when they said the word racist, it was transcribed to Trump by the phones voice-to-text software.Apple has addressed the issue and blamed it on a glitch that makes it difficult for the AI to differentiate between words containing r and having a phonetic overlap.However, experts are of the opinion that a phonetic overlap between these two words is just not possible.Nevertheless, Apple has started fixing the issue.iPhone users were in for a surprise on Tuesday when their phones voice-to-text feature suddenly started swapping the word racist with Trump briefly before correcting it to racist again. Although the glitch is not happening every time you say the word racist, its still a sensitive issue given the current political tensions across the country after Trumps elections.Apple has addressed the glitch and said that its caused by a bug that theyre working on to fix.We are aware of an issue with the speech recognition model that powers Dictation and we are rolling out a fix today Apple spokespersonApparently, the Dictation service was facing issues distinguishing between words containing r because of the phonetic overlap. However, the company did not elaborate on why the word racist was always confused with Trump.Is This Really an Honest Mistake?While this might look like an honest mistake on the surface, speech recognition experts are of the opinion that phonetic overlap couldnt be the reason behind this swap.Peter Bell, a professor of speech technology at the University of Edinburgh, said that although the two words contain the letter r, theyre not phonetically similar enough to confuse the AI. Its more likely that someone intentionally tweaked the underlying software to make this swap.This comes at a time when theres already a lot of tension between Trump and Apple. Firstly, Trump decided to impose an additional 10% tax on all the goods imported from China. Since most of Apples products are manufactured in China, it would be a disaster for the company. This is likely what prompted Apple to announce a massive $500 billion investment in the US. The tech giant plans to create new facilities and expand existing ones.Note: Apple didnt explicitly say that the increased taxes are the reason behind its investment. However, Trump feels that given the timing, theres no other plausible explanation.The second issue is regarding the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). After Trump came to power, he decided to dismantle all DEI initiatives and programs. However, during a recent meeting, Apples shareholders voted against scraping off DEI at the insistence of the board members.CEO Tim Cook said that their aim is to create an environment where everyone can deliver their best. Hence, Apple will be keeping the DEI framework. Still, considering the new legal landscape, theyll probably have to make some adjustments.This angered Trump, who lashed out at the company and said that it should completely ditch the DEI framework instead of making adjustments.Looks like theres enough reason for a disgruntled employee at Apple to tweak the software and make it replace the word racist with Trump. However, in the absence of any evidence, I guess well have to stick to Apples version of the events.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Vlad is Techreport's in-house Executive Editor. With over a decade of experience in tech content, he's passionate about computer hardware, an advocate of online privacy, and strongly believes in the open-source, scarce-money nature of cryptocurrency. When hes not working, hes traveling with his partner and their cat, learning Python, or reading good books. He never owned a PC he did not build. View all articles by Vlad Melnic Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.