Elon Musk says he will ban iPhone and other Apple devices
Elon Musk says he will ban Apple devices at his companies if the iPhone maker goes forward with plans to use OpenAI technology on its phones.
Apple's Integration of OpenAI Technology
Apple announced that it would integrate the technology so that when users are speaking to Siri, it will be able to hand off some queries to ChatGPT, OpenAI’s large language model. However, Mr. Musk expressed concerns regarding the security implications of this integration.
Mr. Musk's Response
Mr. Musk stated that such an update would be an “unacceptable security violation”. He further mentioned, “If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies.”
Visitors to his companies will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage, a closed box that stops wireless signals coming in or going out.
Mr. Musk’s ban would presumably affect SpaceX and Tesla, in addition to X.
Apple's Assurance and Features
Apple had previously mentioned that the feature would be released later this year. OpenAI also confirmed that its technology would be broadly integrated into the operating system with privacy protections in place. “Requests are not stored by OpenAI, and users’ IP addresses are obscured,” OpenAI said in its announcement.
The integration will mean that Siri requests can also be sent to ChatGPT, allowing it to hand off questions – as well as documents and photos – for help. This feature will be available within a new Apple system called “Writing Tools”, enabling users to generate content for their writing or have their documents re-written in fewer words or in different styles.
Apple will also incorporate OpenAI’s image generation technology so that users can create illustrations to accompany their documents. All of these features are part of a suite of features called “Apple Intelligence”.
While this feature mostly relies on Apple’s own technologies, it also integrates those from OpenAI.
Background on Elon Musk and OpenAI
Mr. Musk has a complicated history with OpenAI, having been one of the founders of the company before becoming more critical of its direction. He has sued the company and its CEO, Sam Altman, over their priorities and mission alignment.
In addition to his involvement with OpenAI, Mr. Musk has had disagreements with Apple in the past, particularly regarding payment cuts on the iPhone.
