Elon Musk took aim at Apple after it announced a partnership to use OpenAI’s technology on its devices. Musk took to his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to voice concerns about Apple potentially integrating OpenAI at the operating system level, after the tie-up was announced Monday, calling the deal a security risk.
“If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies,” Musk wrote. “Visitors will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the company’s new AI offering, which the company dubs “Apple Intelligence,” during the tech giant’s developers conference on June 10. Apple Intelligence will significantly expand Siri’s capabilities, but also add writing and image generation tools to Apple’s stock apps like Mail and Notes. The company also unveiled a new deal with OpenAI, which allows Apple to integrate ChatGPT directly into its digital assistant Siri and its generative AI tools. Cook said Apple plans to offer integration with other AI models in future.
During his presentation at the event, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, emphasized privacy, saying that Apple Intelligence is aware of personal data without collecting it. However, Musk didn’t appear convinced.
“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 posted to X after Apple’s announcement. “Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI,” he added. “They’re selling you down the river.”
