Just yesterday, Apple announced that ChatGPT will be integrated into Siri – its popular voice assistant – and across several Apple devices (including iPhones). This announcement has already got its first critic in the form of tech magnate Elon Musk, who announced that he might ban Apple devices from all his companies if Apple proceeds with its plan to integrate OpenAI’s technology at the operating system level.
For those who missed it, Apple’s foray into the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) was a major highlight of WWDC 2024. The company introduced “Apple Intelligence,” a comprehensive suite of AI-powered features designed to personalize the user experience across iPhones, iPads, and Macs. A cornerstone of this initiative involves the integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a powerful language model capable of generating human-quality text in response to a wide range of prompts and questions. Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, will gain the ability to leverage ChatGPT’s expertise, allowing users to ask more complex questions and receive more informative answers. Additionally, ChatGPT will be accessible within Apple’s Writing Tools, enabling users to generate creative text formats and even images to complement their writing projects.
However, Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, disagreed with Apple’s decision and has raised significant concerns about the security implications of Apple’s collaboration with OpenAI. He labeled the proposed integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Apple’s operating systems as an “unacceptable security violation.” In his posts on X, Musk warned that visitors to his companies would be required to check their Apple devices at the door, where they would be stored in a Faraday cage to block electromagnetic signals and prevent any potential data breaches.
Musk’s critique is consistent with Musk’s ongoing rivalry with OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. Earlier this year, Musk sued OpenAI, accusing the organization of abandoning its foundational mission. Since then, he has launched his own AI company, xAI, and developed a competing chatbot named Grok. Still, Musk’s threat to ban Apple devices from his companies could have significant repercussions if he follows through. Tesla, SpaceX, and Musk’s other ventures employ thousands of people globally, and such a ban would not only inconvenience employees but could also disrupt business operations that rely on Apple devices.
For its part, the Cupertino-headquartered Apple assured users that this integration is designed with privacy as a top priority. According to the tech behemoth, any requests sent to ChatGPT will require explicit user permission, and the data shared will not be stored by OpenAI. Furthermore, Apple highlighted that much of the AI processing will be conducted on-device using its in-house hardware and chips, which reduces the reliance on cloud-based data processing and enhances privacy.
