Elon Musk is threatening to ban iPhones from all his corporations over the newly introduced OpenAI integrations Apple introduced at WWDC 2024 on Monday. In a collection of posts on X, the Tesla, SpaceX and xAI exec wrote that “if Apple integrates OpenAI on the OS degree,” Apple gadgets could be banned from his companies and guests must examine their Apple gadgets on the door the place they’ll be “saved in a Faraday cage.”
His posts appear to misconceive the connection Apple introduced with OpenAI or no less than try to depart room for doubt about person privateness. Whereas Apple and OpenAI each stated that customers are requested earlier than “any questions are despatched to ChatGPT,” together with any paperwork or pictures, Musk’s responses point out he believes OpenAI is deeply built-in into Apple’s working system itself and subsequently in a position to hoover up any private and personal information.
In iOS 18, Apple stated folks will be capable to ask Siri questions, and if the assistant thinks ChatGPT may help, it is going to ask permission to share the query and current the reply immediately. This permits customers to get a solution from ChatGPT with out having to open the ChatGPT iOS app. Images, PDFs or different paperwork you need to ship to ChatGPT get the identical remedy.
Musk, nonetheless, would like that OpenAI’s capabilities stay sure to a devoted app — not a Siri integration.
Responding to VC and CTO Sam Pullara at Sutter Hill Ventures who wrote that the person is approving a particular request on a per-request foundation — OpenAI doesn’t have entry to the gadget — Musk wrote, “Then depart it as an app. That is bullshit.”
Pullara had stated that the best way ChatGPT was built-in was primarily the identical approach the ChatGPT app works immediately. The on-device AI fashions are both Apple’s personal or these utilizing Apple’s Personal Cloud.
In the meantime, replying to a put up on X from YouTuber Marques Brownlee that additional defined Apple Intelligence, Musk responded, “Apple utilizing the phrases ‘shield your privateness’ whereas handing your information over to a third-party AI that they don’t perceive and might’t themselves create is *not* defending privateness in any respect!”
He even replied to a put up by Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner, whereby he threatened to ban Apple gadgets from the premises of his corporations if he didn’t “cease this creepy spyware and adware.”
“It’s patently absurd that Apple isn’t good sufficient to make their very own AI, but is by some means able to making certain that OpenAI will shield your safety & privateness!” Musk exclaimed in certainly one of many posts concerning the new integrations. “Apple has no clue what’s truly happening as soon as they hand your information over to OpenAI. They’re promoting you down the river,” he stated. Whereas it’s true that Apple might not know the interior workings of OpenAI, it’s not technically Apple handing over the info — the person is making that selection, from the sound of issues.
Apple additionally introduced one other integration that will enable customers to have entry to ChatGPT system-wide inside Writing Instruments by way of a “compose” characteristic. As an example, you could possibly ask ChatGPT to put in writing a bedtime story in your youngster in a doc, Apple recommended. You might additionally ask ChatGPT to generate photos in quite a few types to enhance your writing. By means of these options, customers will primarily be accessing ChatGPT totally free with out the friction of getting to create an account. That’s nice information for OpenAI, which can quickly have an enormous inflow of requests from Apple customers.
Apple customers might not perceive the nuances of the privateness points right here, in fact — which is what Musk is relying on by making these complaints. If customers may set their very own most well-liked AI bot because the go-to for Siri requests or writing assist, like Anthropic’s Claude or — say, xAI’s Grok — it’s uncertain that Musk could be yelling this loudly concerning the risks of such an integration. (The truth is, Apple simply hinted that Google Gemini could possibly be built-in sooner or later, in a post-keynote session.)
In its announcement, Apple says that customers’ requests and knowledge are usually not logged, however ChatGPT subscribers can join their account after which entry their paid options immediately inside Apple’s AI experiences.
“After all, you’re in management over when ChatGPT is used and will probably be requested earlier than any of your data is shared. ChatGPT integration will probably be coming to iOS 18 iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia later this yr,” stated Apple SVP of Software program Engineering Craig Federighi. The options will solely be obtainable on iPhone Professional 15 fashions and gadgets that use M1 or newer chips.
OpenAI reiterated one thing comparable in its weblog put up, noting that “requests are usually not saved by OpenAI, and customers’ IP addresses are obscured. Customers may also select to attach their ChatGPT account, which suggests their information preferences will apply beneath ChatGPT’s insurance policies.” The latter refers back to the elective (as in opt-in) skill to attach the characteristic with their paid subscription.
