Politico has published an extensive report claiming that, following Trump’s election, Apple changed its AI training guidelines on issues such as DEI, vaccines, elections, and Trump himself. Here are the details.
Data annotation
It is common practice for tech companies to rely on subcontractors to help with the labeling and post-training process of their AI models.
Politico’s report says that Apple contracts Transperfect, a company that offers “translation services and solutions,” including AI data collection and annotation.
Data annotation is one of the most important steps in AI training. In a nutshell, annotators label and categorize raw data, evaluate AI-generated outputs, and flag issues such as bias or safety risks. Their work produces structured feedback that, in turn, researchers can use to fine-tune or retrain models.
According to the report, about 200 people work on data annotation for Apple’s AI models at Transperfect’s Barcelona office.
Politico’s findings
In its report, Politico says that it reviewed two sets of documents data labelers relied on for their work on Apple’s AI models: one that was used between 2024 and early 2025, and a second one, issued by Apple in March, with a set of new guidelines:
“The March document introduced updated guidelines on how the AI talks about diversity, equity and inclusion policies — a topic for which boardrooms around the country, including Apple itself, have come under high-profile attacks from the U.S. administration — compared to the 2024 rating document seen by POLITICO. As well as taking greater care around a host of politically sensitive topics, including diversity initiatives, elections, and vaccines, the company also updated its guidance to give closer attention to the AI’s responses on Trump’s supporters and on Apple itself.“
Politico also says that sections on “intolerance” and “systemic racism” were removed. At the same time, topics such as DEI policies, Gaza, Crimea, Kashmir, Taiwan, vaccines, and elections were added to a list of “sensitive” topics, which already included LGBTQ+ rights, gun control, and general references to disputed territories.
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