Elon Musk threatens to ban Apple products over Open AI integration
Billionaire entrepreneur, Elon Musk said on Monday that if Apple integrates OpenAI into its operating system, he will prohibit the use of Apple products across his companies.
Musk, who owns Tesla and other ventures, declared that anyone visiting his companies would be required to store their Apple devices in a Faraday cage, effectively blocking electromagnetic transmissions.
Musk’s statement comes as Apple announced its partnership with OpenAI, which includes the integration of ChatGPT powered by GPT-4 into some of its software, including the new and improved Siri.
“If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies,” Musk wrote. “That is an unacceptable security violation,” the rocket maker’s owner, SpaceX, said on X (formerly Twitter).
Earlier on Monday at its Worldwide Developers’ Conference, Apple revealed that it will incorporate its new AI software, Apple Intelligence, into the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
It also announced a collaboration with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT, powered by GPT-4o, into some of its applications, including the upgraded Siri.
According to Apple, the ChatGPT integration will be accessible for free without an account in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia later this year.
Apple said, “When a user grants permission, Siri can tap into ChatGPT’s broad world knowledge and present an answer directly.”
The billionaire denounced the partnership, saying he is concerned about the iPhone maker partnering with a third-party AI that it “doesn’t understand” and “can’t themselves create.”
“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 and privacy,” Musk further tweeted.
In early March, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, a company he co-founded in 2015, and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging that they had strayed from the original mission of developing AI for the benefit of humanity rather than for profit.
Musk has also launched his startup, xAI, aiming to rival OpenAI and create an alternative to the popular chatbot.
Last month, The PUNCH reported that xAI secured $6bn in a Series B funding round, with backing from investors such as Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, and Sequoia Capital, among others.
