Elon Musk is threatening to ban iPhones from all his firms 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 test 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 at the very least try to depart room for doubt about person privateness. Whereas Apple and OpenAI each mentioned that customers are requested earlier than “any questions are despatched to ChatGPT,” together with any paperwork or images, Musk’s responses point out he believes OpenAI is deeply built-in into Apple’s working system itself and due to this fact in a position to hoover up any private and personal information.
In iOS 18, Apple mentioned folks will be capable to ask Siri questions, and if the assistant thinks ChatGPT might help, it would ask permission to share the query and current the reply straight. This enables customers to get a solution from ChatGPT with out having to open the ChatGPT iOS app. Photographs, PDFs or different paperwork you need to ship to ChatGPT get the identical remedy.
Musk, nonetheless, would favor 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 machine — Musk wrote, “Then go away it as an app. That is bullshit.”
Pullara had mentioned that the best way ChatGPT was built-in was basically the identical manner the ChatGPT app works in the present day. The on-device AI fashions are both Apple’s personal or these utilizing Apple’s Non-public Cloud.
In the meantime, replying to a publish 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 may’t themselves create is *not* defending privateness in any respect!”
He even replied to a publish by Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner, whereby he threatened to ban Apple gadgets from the premises of his firms if he didn’t “cease this creepy spy ware.”
“It’s patently absurd that Apple isn’t good sufficient to make their very own AI, but is by some means able to guaranteeing that OpenAI will shield your safety & privateness!” Musk exclaimed in one in all many posts in regards to the new integrations. “Apple has no clue what’s really happening as soon as they hand your information over to OpenAI. They’re promoting you down the river,” he mentioned. Whereas it’s true that Apple could not know the internal workings of OpenAI, it’s not technically Apple handing over the info — the person is making that alternative, from the sound of issues.
Apple additionally introduced one other integration that may enable customers to have entry to ChatGPT system-wide inside Writing Instruments by way of a “compose” function. For example, you would ask ChatGPT to write down a bedtime story in your youngster in a doc, Apple steered. You might additionally ask ChatGPT to generate pictures in a lot of kinds to enhance your writing. By these options, customers will basically be accessing ChatGPT at no cost with out the friction of getting to create an account. That’s nice information for OpenAI, which can quickly have a large inflow of requests from Apple customers.
Apple customers could 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 popular 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 in regards to the risks of such an integration. (Actually, Apple simply hinted that Google Gemini might be built-in sooner or later, in a post-keynote session.)
In its announcement, Apple says that customers’ requests and data usually are not logged, however ChatGPT subscribers can join their account after which entry their paid options straight inside Apple’s AI experiences.
“After all, you’re in management over when ChatGPT is used and might be requested earlier than any of your data is shared. ChatGPT integration might be coming to iOS 18 iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia later this 12 months,” mentioned Apple SVP of Software program Engineering Craig Federighi. The options will solely be out there on iPhone Professional 15 fashions and gadgets that use M1 or newer chips.
OpenAI reiterated one thing comparable in its weblog publish, noting that “requests usually are not saved by OpenAI, and customers’ IP addresses are obscured. Customers can even select to attach their ChatGPT account, which suggests their information preferences will apply below ChatGPT’s insurance policies.” The latter refers back to the elective (as in opt-in) potential to attach the function with their paid subscription.
