ELON MUSK CRITICIZES APPLE’S AI STRATEGY, THREATENS TO BAN DEVICES IF OPENAI IS INTEGRATED INTO OS
On Monday, Elon Musk threatened to ban Apple devices at his companies if the tech giant integrates OpenAI at the operating system level. Writing on X, the Tesla CEO described the prospect as an “unacceptable security violation.” Musk stated that if he implements the ban, visitors would need to check their Apple devices “at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage.”
This statement followed Apple’s announcement of various AI features across its apps and operating platforms, as well as a partnership with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT technology to its devices. Apple emphasized that its AI is built with privacy “at the core,” utilizing a mix of on-device processing and cloud computing to support these features.
Musk criticized Apple, saying, “It is 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!” A community note under Musk’s tweet clarified that Apple has developed its own AI called “Apple Intelligence.” It stated that ChatGPT is an additional feature within Apple Intelligence, limited to Siri and writing tools, and requires user permission for each use.
Musk previously sued OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015, along with its CEO Sam Altman, in early March. He claimed they abandoned the startup’s original mission to develop AI for humanity’s benefit and not for profit. Musk has since established his own AI startup, xAI, aiming to challenge OpenAI and create an alternative to ChatGPT. xAI was valued at $24 billion in its latest funding round, raising $6 billion in Series B funding.
