Apple’s latest updates to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia include a significant new feature: Siri can now utilize ChatGPT to handle complex queries, provided users give explicit permission. This integration aims to deliver more contextual responses without needing the ChatGPT app. However, this announcement has sparked strong opposition from Elon Musk.
During Apple’s keynote, Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, emphasized that users will control when ChatGPT is used, ensuring privacy by not logging or storing data with OpenAI. Despite these assurances, Musk took to his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), to express his concerns.
Musk declared, “If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.” He further stipulated that visitors to his companies would need to check their Apple devices at the door, where they would be stored in Faraday cages to prevent any potential data breaches. Musk criticized Apple’s security measures, stating, “Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They’re selling you down the river.”
Apple and OpenAI have both reiterated that data sharing requires explicit user consent and that robust security measures are in place. OpenAI has clarified in a blog post that requests are not stored, and users’ IP addresses are obscured. Additionally, users can opt-in to connect their ChatGPT accounts for accessing paid features.
Despite Musk’s concerns, Apple has stressed that the integration of ChatGPT is designed with user privacy at its core. The new AI capabilities use a combination of on-device processing and cloud computing, ensuring that data is not stored in the cloud. This move is part of Apple’s broader strategy to enhance the AI capabilities of its operating systems, aiming to provide a more intelligent and secure user experience.
