Elon Musk has threatened to ban Apple devices from his companies due to Apple’s partnership with OpenAI. The integration of ChatGPT into Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and Mac is concerning to Musk. “If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation,” Musk posted on his platform, X.
Apple’s AI Integration
Apple recently announced the integration of its new AI software, Apple Intelligence, across its devices. This includes a partnership with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to their platform. The integration will allow users to access ChatGPT’s knowledge through Siri and other Apple services. Apple stated, “When a user grants permission, Siri can tap into ChatGPT’s broad world knowledge and present an answer directly.”
Musk responded critically to this move, accusing Apple of risking user security by sharing data with OpenAI. He expressed his distrust in Apple’s ability to safeguard this data, saying, “It’s patently absurd that Apple isn’t smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security & privacy! Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They’re selling you down the river.”
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Where Does Musk Say The Issue Lies?
Musk’s main issue with Apple’s partnership with OpenAI is the security risk he believes it poses. He argued that allowing ChatGPT to be integrated at the operating system level is a severe security breach. “And visitors will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage,” Musk said, suggesting extreme measures to prevent any potential data breaches.
Apple has defended its decision by focusing on user privacy. According to Apple, the integration with ChatGPT includes privacy protections. Users must give permission before Siri can send any queries to ChatGPT. The company assures that device IP addresses are kept private, and OpenAI will not store user requests.
Musk’s History With OpenAI
If you can remember, it was in fact Musk who had co-founded OpenAI back in 2015. He then distanced himself considering his views on how they operate. He was already skeptical about the AI startup when earlier this year there were a few back and forth cases. He had said then, “OpenAI, Inc. has been transformed into a closed-source de facto subsidiary of the largest technology company in the world: Microsoft.”
His decision to ban Apple products speaks further to his frustrations already faced when it comes to how OpenAI functions.
The Timeline:
2015: Co-founds OpenAI to promote beneficial AI research.
2018: Proposes taking control of OpenAI; founders reject the idea.
2018: Leaves OpenAI, citing conflicts of interest with Tesla’s AI efforts.
2019: OpenAI shifts to a capped-profit model to attract more funding.
2019: Microsoft invests $1 billion in OpenAI, to help with its AI development.
2022: Musk pulls OpenAI’s access to Twitter data after acquiring the social media platform.
2023: Launches xAI to compete with OpenAI directly.
It’d be interesting to see employees’ reactions in the case Musk decides to pull the popularly used devices across all his companies.
