Elon Musk has threatened to ban Apple devices from his company over Apple's newly announced ChatGPT integration.
Apple Intelligence in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia allows Siri to leverage ChatGPT to handle complex queries, but only when explicit user permission is provided. This feature is designed to provide richer, more contextual responses without users having to open the ChatGPT app.
During Apple's keynote, Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Software Engineering, emphasized that users have full control over when they use ChatGPT and that no data shared with OpenAI will be recorded or stored. “You can control when ChatGPT is used and your information will be questioned before it is shared,” Federighi said.
Despite these assurances, Musk has expressed strong opposition to the integration of his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). “If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, Apple devices will be banned from our company,” Musk said. “This is an unacceptable security violation.” He continued: “Visitors will be asked to check their Apple devices at the door, which will be kept in Faraday cages.” He has also repeatedly questioned Apple's ability to ensure data security, saying, “If you hand over your data to OpenAI, you have no idea what's really going on. They're selling you out.”
Both Apple and OpenAI have emphasized that user data is only shared with explicit consent and that these interactions are designed to be secure. OpenAI noted in a new blog post that “requests are not stored by OpenAI and the user's IP address is obscured.” Users may also choose to access paid features by linking their ChatGPT account, but this is an optional feature.
Apple made it clear in its message that the new AI features were designed with user privacy at its core. Apple's approach leverages a combination of on-device processing and cloud computing to ensure that data is never stored in the cloud. Apple's integration of ChatGPT into its operating system is part of a broader strategy to enhance the AI capabilities of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.