Google Apologizes for BAFTA News Alert Containing N-Word, Claims AI Is Not to Blame

Google has issued an apology after a computer-generated news notification about the recent BAFTA Film Awards controversy contained the N-word. The tech giant claims AI is not to blame for the racial slur being sent out to to unsuspecting users.

Deadline reports that the tech giant distributed a notification about the recent BAFTA Tourette’s controversy that link to a Hollywood Reporter article on the incident. The alert’s headline read “How the Tourette’s Fallout Unfolded at the BAFTA Film Awards,” but the company’s computer-generated text inviting users to “see more on” the topic contained the N-word, shocking users who received the notification.

Instagram user Danny Price discovered the offensive notification and shared his criticism on social media, calling it “absolutely f****d” and noting the troubling timing during Black History Month. The post quickly gained attention online, though it has not been widely embedded due to containing a screenshot of the original Google alert.

A Google spokesperson responded to the incident with an apology statement. “We’re very sorry for this mistake. We’ve removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again,” the representative told media outlets.

Google later provided additional clarification about the technical error behind the notification. The company explained that while the mistake was technology-related, it was not generated by AI systems as initially reported. According to Google, their systems “recognized a euphemism for an offensive term on several web pages, and accidentally applied the offensive term to the notification text.” The company emphasized that “this system error did not involve AI” and that their safety filters failed to properly trigger, which caused the inappropriate content to be distributed.

This incident is not the first time a major technology company has faced problems with automated news alerts. Apple discontinued its AI-generated news alerts in 2025 following several prominent errors. One notable mistake involved incorrectly informing readers that Luigi Mangione, the individual accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself, when that was not accurate.