Billionaire Elon Musk announced on Monday his intention to ban Apple devices from his companies if the tech giant integrates OpenAI at the operating system level.
In a post on X, Musk stated, “That is an unacceptable security violation,” referring to Apple’s collaboration with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT technology into its devices. Musk, who leads Tesla, SpaceX, and the social media company X, emphasized that visitors would need to store their Apple devices in a Faraday cage upon entry.
Earlier that day, Apple revealed a range of AI features across its apps and platforms, along with its partnership with OpenAI. The company assured that their AI technology was designed with privacy at its core, utilizing both on-device processing and cloud computing.
Musk criticized Apple’s approach, saying, “It’s 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!”
Ben Bajarin, CEO of consulting firm Creative Strategies, expressed skepticism about the impact of Musk’s stance. He noted that Apple’s strategy aims to educate users about the security of private cloud storage, arguing that it is as secure as keeping data on a device. “Apple really never sees that data,” he explained, highlighting the company’s commitment to data anonymization and firewalling.
Musk has a history with OpenAI, having co-founded the organization in 2015. He sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman earlier this year, alleging that they deviated from the startup’s original mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity. In response, Musk founded his own AI startup, xAI, which aims to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. xAI was valued at $24 billion in its most recent funding round, raising $6 billion in series B funding.
