As Apple unveiled its latest artificial intelligence strategy at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC24), integrating its new ‘Apple Intelligence’ technology across its apps, including Siri, and bringing OpenAI’s ChatGPT to its devices, the announcement raised privacy concerns from none other than tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk warned that he would ban Apple devices at his companies if the iPhone maker integrates OpenAI at the OS level.
“That is an unacceptable security violation,” Musk wrote on X.
“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! Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They’re selling you down the river,” Musk, CEO of electric car maker Tesla and rocket maker SpaceX and owner of social media company X, said in a separate post.
“And visitors will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage,” he wrote further. A Faraday cage is a closed box that stops wireless signals coming in or going out.
Musk had sued OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015, and its CEO Sam Altman in March, saying they abandoned the startup’s original mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity and not for profit. Musk has also founded his own startup, xAI, in a bid to challenge OpenAI and build an alternative to the viral chatbot ChatGPT.
Private AI processing
Apple, meanwhile, listed in a blog how it has created ‘Private Cloud Compute (PCC)’, a cloud intelligence system designed specifically for private AI processing.
“For the first time ever, Private Cloud Compute extends the industry-leading security and privacy of Apple devices into the cloud, making sure that personal user data sent to PCC isn’t accessible to anyone other than the user — not even to Apple,” the company said.
What does the Apple-ChatGPT integration mean?
The integration within iOS, iPadOS and macOS will allow users to access ChatGPT’s capabilities — including image and document understanding — without needing to jump between tools.
Siri will also be able to tap into ChatGPT’s intelligence when helpful. Apple users will be asked before any questions are sent to ChatGPT, along with any documents or photos, and Siri will then present the answer directly.
ChatGPT will also be available in Apple’s systemwide Writing Tools to help users generate content. Users can also tap into ChatGPT image tools to generate images.
“Privacy protections are built in when accessing ChatGPT within Siri and Writing Tools — requests are not stored by OpenAI, and users’ IP addresses are obscured. Users can also choose to connect their ChatGPT account, which means their data preferences will apply under ChatGPT’s policies,” OpenAI said.
The ChatGPT integration, powered by GPT-4o, will come to iOS, iPadOS, and macOS later this year.
“We’re excited to partner with Apple to bring ChatGPT to their users in a new way. Apple shares our commitment to safety and innovation, and this partnership aligns with OpenAI’s mission to make advanced AI accessible to everyone. Together with Apple, we’re making it easier for people to benefit from what AI can offer,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.
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