Elon Musk Threatens Apple Device Ban Over ChatGPT Integration

Billionaire Elon Musk has threatened to ban Apple devices in his companies if OpenAI’s ChatGPT is integrated into the operating systems for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2024

“If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, their devices will be banned at my companies. This is an unacceptable security violation. Visitors will have to leave Apple gadgets at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage,” Musk wrote on X.

The entrepreneur called it absurd that Apple cannot create its own AI but somehow claims to ensure security and privacy when using ChatGPT. Apple has no idea what actually happens when data is transferred to OpenAI, Musk added.

Apple using the words “protect your privacy” while handing your data over to a third-party AI that they don’t understand and can’t themselves create is *not* protecting privacy at all!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2024

“Apple uses the words ‘protect your privacy,’ yet hands data over to a third-party AI they don’t understand and can’t create themselves. This does not protect privacy at all!” the entrepreneur added.

Venture investor and CTO of Sutter Hill Ventures Sam Pullara noted that OpenAI does not have access to the device, and each request to ChatGPT must be authorized by the user. In response, Elon Musk suggested limiting the chatbot’s functionality to a standalone application to avoid potential security and privacy issues.

Earlier in June, at the WWDC 2024 presentation in Cupertino, Apple announced a partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.