Elon Musk has threatened to ban Apple devices within his companies following Apple’s recent announcement at WWDC 2024 regarding the integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT into its operating systems.
He warns that if Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, Apple devices would be banned from his businesses, and visitors would have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they’ll be stored in a Faraday cage.
This, according to Elon Musk, is due to major issues surrounding privacy and security.
Apple announced that with iOS 18, Siri will utilize ChatGPT for handling complex queries. This integration allows users to ask Siri questions, and if ChatGPT can assist, it will ask for permission to share the query and provide an answer.
Apple has assured that user data will only be shared with explicit consent and that interactions are designed to be secure. Again, user data shared with OpenAI will not be logged or stored.
Elon Musk took to his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), noting his disapproval. He described the integration as an “unacceptable security violation” and threatened to ban Apple devices at Tesla, SpaceX, and other Musk-owned companies.
He suggested that OpenAI’s capabilities should remain within a dedicated app rather than being integrated at the operating system level.
On the part of Elon Musk, this points to a deep mistrust of the integration, implying that OpenAI could potentially access personal and private data through this new system. Despite reassurances from Apple and OpenAI, Elon Musk remains unconvinced, highlighting what he sees as a fundamental privacy risk.
Apple has reiterated that user control and consent are at the core of the ChatGPT integration. According to Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering, users will be asked before any information is shared with ChatGPT.
The integration will be rolled out to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia later this year, available on iPhone Pro 15 models and devices using M1 or newer chips. OpenAI also reiterated that requests are not stored and users’ IP addresses are obscured.
Privacy and security in the integration of third-party AI technologies into operating systems are a big concern. However, reports point to Elon Musk’s standpoint as being influenced by his interests in his own AI ventures, such as xAI’s Grok.
Apple’s announcement includes additional integrations, such as using ChatGPT within writing tools to generate content like bedtime stories or images, which further expands OpenAI’s reach and utility within the Apple industry.
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