The alert, which was sent to some users of the Google app, referenced a recent incident at Sunday’s BAFTA ceremony involving a Tourette’s-related outburst. Instead of using a censored version of the word, the notification spelled out the N-word in full — prompting backlash online.
Screenshot Shared on Instagram
The notification was first highlighted by Instagram user Danny Price, who shared screenshots of the alert with his followers. The push notification linked to an article by The Hollywood Reporter titled, “How the Tourette's Fallout Unfolded at the BAFTA Film Awards.”
However, the notification preview included the offensive slur and encouraged users to “see more” about the term.
Price called the incident “absolutely f---ed” in his post and added, “What an interesting Black History Month this has turned out to be.”
Google Responds to Backlash
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, a Google spokesperson apologized for the error.
“We're deeply sorry for this mistake. We've removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again,” the company said.
Google explained that the issue was caused by a system error and not artificial intelligence. According to the company, its automated systems identified a euphemism for the slur on several web pages. However, due to a failure in its safety filters, the actual offensive word was mistakenly inserted into the push notification text.
“This system error did not involve AI. Our safety filters did not properly trigger, which is what caused this,” the spokesperson said.
Limited Distribution
Google said only a “very small subset” of users who have push notifications enabled on the Google app received the alert. The company added that it quickly removed the notification once the issue was discovered.
“We caught the mistake quickly, and immediately removed it from people's devices,” the spokesperson said.
Company Working on Safeguards
The tech giant said it is now working to strengthen safeguards around its push notification systems to ensure that similar errors do not happen again.
The incident comes during Black History Month in the United States, adding to public criticism over the wording of the alert.
Google has not shared further details about how many users were affected but emphasized that improvements are underway to prevent another mistake of this kind.
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