Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, has issued a stern warning against the use of Apple devices within his companies. This comes in response to Apple’s announcement of integrating OpenAI’s ChatGPT into its operating systems for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Musk expressed his concerns in a post on June 10, stating, “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 suggested that visitors to his companies, including Tesla and Space Exploration Technologies Corp, would need to store their Apple devices in a “Faraday cage” upon entry.
During the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple unveiled “Apple Intelligence,” a suite of new generative AI features set to be introduced to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia later this year. This development was leaked by Bloomberg over the weekend.
One of these features will allow Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, to relay user queries to ChatGPT when necessary. Before any questions are sent to ChatGPT, along with any documents or photos, users will be asked for their consent. Siri will then directly present the answer. This feature will be powered by GPT-4o, the latest version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
However, Musk criticized Apple’s decision, calling it “patently absurd” and accusing the tech giant of not being “smart enough” to develop their own AI. He suggested that by outsourcing privacy and security, Apple is doing a disservice to its customers. “They’re selling you down the river,” he said.
In another post, Musk criticized Apple’s claim of protecting user privacy while handing over data to a third-party AI. He said, “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.”
Musk did not provide details about the privacy protections embedded into the OpenAI integration. As a result, his post triggered the “readers added context” feature, which provided a link to Apple’s press statement. The statement explained that user IP addresses would remain obscured and OpenAI won’t store requests.
Despite the buzz around Apple Intelligence, the news did not inspire a price rally for AI-linked cryptocurrencies. Render (RNDR), Fetch.ai (FET), and SingularityNET (AGIX) saw a decrease of 5.9%, 3.3%, and 3.9% respectively over the last 24 hours.
This incident highlights the ongoing debate about privacy and security in the age of AI. As technology continues to evolve, companies and consumers alike must navigate the complex landscape of data privacy, security, and the ethical implications of AI integration.
