Google is apologizing after finding itself in the middle of the BAFTA Film Awards' n-word controversy, Deadline reports. Some users received a push notification from the tech company, promoting a Hollywood Reporter article on the subject, that invited the users to "see more on" and then spelled out the racist slur. The alert, flagged by Instagram user Danny Price, sparked criticism online and prompted a quick mea culpa from Google. A company spokesperson called it a "mistake," said the notification had been pulled, and vowed fixes to stop a repeat. (Price's screenshot of the notification, which does include the n-word in full, can be viewed here.)
Google later clarified the alert wasn't created by AI, as was originally reported. Instead, it said its systems spotted a euphemism for the slur on several web pages and "accidentally applied the offensive term to the notification text," adding that safety filters "did not properly trigger." The incident is the latest fallout from Sunday's BAFTA ceremony, where Tourette's activist John Davidson, who suffers from the syndrome and inspired the BAFTA-nominated movie I Swear, involuntarily shouted the word from the audience as Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage. Davidson tells Variety he has reached out to apologize to Lindo and Jordan. "I want people to know and understand that my tics have absolutely nothing to do with what I think, feel or believe," he says. "It's an involuntary neurological misfire. My tics are not an intention, not a choice and not a reflection of my values." BAFTA also apologized in a lengthy statement Monday, NPR reports.
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