Musk Threatens iPhone Ban: Opposes Apple's Integration with OpenAI

Elon Musk threatens to ban all of his companies from using the iPhone, citing Apple's announcement of a new integration with OpenAI at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. In a series of tweets, the head of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI wrote that if Apple integrates OpenAI at the operating system level, Apple devices will be prohibited from entering his companies, and visitors must check their Apple devices at the door and "store them in a Faraday cage."

Musk's posts seem to misunderstand or at least attempt to raise public attention to the privacy concerns regarding Apple's collaboration with OpenAI. Although both Apple and OpenAI have explicitly stated that they seek user consent before sending any "queries" to ChatGPT or sharing any documents or photos, Musk's response implies that he believes OpenAI has already been deeply integrated into Apple's operating system, potentially collecting any personal and private data.

In iOS 18, Apple states that users can ask Siri questions, and if Siri deems ChatGPT helpful, it will ask the user for permission to share the query and present the answer directly. The same treatment applies to photos, PDFs, or other documents that users want to send to ChatGPT.

However, Musk prefers OpenAI's functionality to be limited to a dedicated app rather than integrated with Siri.

In response to content written by Sam Pullara, a venture capitalist and CTO at Sutter Hill Ventures, stating that users approve specific requests on a per-request basis and that OpenAI does not have access to devices, Musk replied, "Then leave it as an app. That's nonsense."

Pullara suggests that the integration of ChatGPT is similar to how the ChatGPT app works today. The AI model on the device is either Apple's own or uses Apple's private cloud.

Furthermore, in response to YouTube blogger Marques Brownlee's post further explaining Apple's smart technology, Musk said, "Apple claims to 'protect your privacy' while handing your data to third-party AI that they don't understand and can't create themselves. It's a complete betrayal of user privacy!"

He even responded to a post by Apple CEO Tim Cook, threatening to ban Apple devices from his company's premises if Cook doesn't "stop this creepy spyware."

"Apple clearly isn't smart enough to develop AI themselves but can ensure OpenAI protects your safety and privacy. It's ridiculous!" Musk exclaimed in multiple posts about the new integration. "Once Apple hands your data to OpenAI, they have no idea what happens. They're throwing you into the fire pit," he said. While Apple may not understand the inner workings of OpenAI, it is not Apple who is handing over the data—it is the user's choice.

Apple also announced another integration feature that will allow users to access ChatGPT in the system-wide "writing tools" through the "Compose" feature. For example, Apple suggests that users can have ChatGPT write a bedtime story for their children. Users can also request ChatGPT to generate images in various styles to complement their writing. With these features, users can access ChatGPT for free without the hassle of creating an account. This is good news for OpenAI as it will soon receive a significant number of requests from Apple users.

Of course, Apple users may not be aware of the subtle differences in privacy concerns here—this is precisely what Musk relies on by raising these complaints. If users can set their preferred AI bot as the first choice for Siri requests or writing assistance, such as Anthropic's Claude or xAI's Grok, Musk is unlikely to express such strong concerns about this integration. (In fact, Apple hinted at the possibility of integrating Google's Gemini during a segment after the keynote.)

In the announcement, Apple states that user requests and information will not be recorded, but ChatGPT's subscription users can connect their accounts and directly use their paid features in Apple's AI experience.

"Of course, you can control when you use ChatGPT, and your consent will be sought before sharing any information. The integration of ChatGPT will be rolled out later this year in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia," said Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering. These features will only be available on the iPhone Pro 15 models and devices using the M1 or newer chips.

OpenAI reiterated similar points in its blog post, stating that "OpenAI does not store requests, and users' IP addresses are hidden. Users can also choose to connect their ChatGPT accounts, which means their data preferences will follow ChatGPT's policies." The latter refers to the ability for users to choose (actively opt-in) to connect the functionality with their paid subscriptions.