Elon Musk threatened to ban Apple devices at his companies if the iPhone maker partners with OpenAI.
In response to an announcement at the Cupertino tech giant's Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, where Apple revealed plans to integrate the latest edition of ChatGPT into its software, including Siri, Musk fired off a series of tweets on his social media platform X.
“That is an unacceptable security violation,” Musk wrote.
He stated that Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad and Mac, would no longer be allowed at his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX. Visitors “will have to check their Apple devices at the door,” where they would be stored in sealed containers to block electromagnetic transmissions.
Apple introduced a range of AI features at the conference, including Apple Intelligence, emphasizing that privacy is “at the core” of its strategy, using a combination of internal processing and cloud computing. However, Musk remained skeptical about Apple's intentions.
“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!” he wrote on X.
Apple announced that ChatGPT integration would be available for free in iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia later this year. Musk criticized Apple’s trust in OpenAI, accusing Apple of compromising user data — without offering evidence to support his statement — and alleging that, “They’re selling you down the river.”
In March, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015, and its CEO Sam Altman, claiming they had deviated from their original mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity rather than profit.
Since he departed from OpenAI, Musk has launched his own AI startup, xAI, and an alternative to ChatGPT called Grok.
He has also had previous conflicts with Apple and CEO Tim Cook.
Responding to Cook’s post promoting Apple Intelligence on Monday, Musk shot back: “Don’t want it. Either stop this creepy spyware or all Apple devices will be banned from the premises of my companies.”
The Chronicle has reached out to Apple for comment.
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