Elon Musk is not happy with Apple’s recent announcement that it will fully embrace artificial intelligence in its future releases through a partnership with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. The matter goes beyond a simple disagreement. There are millions of users (and dollars) at stake. This disagreement arose following Apple’s announcement at the WWDC 2024 (Worldwide Developers Conference) on June 10th. Amid a flurry of rumors, they revealed their long-awaited plan to integrate Artificial Intelligence into their new devices.
What are the implications of integrating ChatGPT into iOS?
Apple has successfully integrated OpenAI into Siri and ChatGPT into the iPhone and will introduce a range of powerful AI features in the near future. «We are excited to collaborate with Apple to integrate ChatGPT into their devices this year,» wrote OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on X, the platform Musk purchased. Altman’s comment was reinforced by Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, who stated, «We believe that Apple Intelligence will be indispensable in products that already play an essential role in our lives.»
According to Apple, the benefits of this integration include seamless and intuitive access to ChatGPT’s comprehensive capabilities, eliminating the need for additional apps. Another immediate advantage is increased productivity when creating content, whether it’s for work, school, or home. The generation of images and illustrations used to complement text and ideas is also part of the futuristic package of improvements Apple offers, with Musk warning against the poor security of ChatGPT. Apple claims to have taken safety into account, ensuring a secure environment. The economic impact is undeniable. Following the announcement on June 11th of AI integration into iPhones, iPads, and Macs, Apple’s stock saw a 6% increase (approximately) in the NY Stock Exchange.
«Why Is Elon Musk opposing Apple Intelligence?»
Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and owner of SpaceX, expressed dissatisfaction with the optimistic outlook presented by Apple’s executives and promptly threatened to prohibit the use of iPhones in his offices. Musk’s reasons are based on alleged data security vulnerabilities. «Unacceptable» was the word Musk publicly used, an «unacceptable security violation.» Musk suggested banning employees and visitors from using Apple devices in their workplaces. «They will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage,» he wrote.
The media often exploits Elon Musk’s eccentricity for clicks and traffic, but there are other reasons for his concerns. The integration of OpenAI would compromise a more sensitive nerve center concerning Musk’s interests: his power and influence. The answer lies in Grok.
What’s Grok and why is it important to Elon Musk?
«Discover the answers to life, the universe, everything.» That’s how Grok, the AI developed by X, the powerful platform formerly known as Twitter (let’s be honest, they will never take away the verb «to tweet» from us), describes itself. Musk acquired X in April 2020. At the end of 2023, this new AI, a direct competition with ChatGPT, was introduced.
Gone were the days when Elon Musk was part of OpenAI. His mission (beyond traveling to the moon soon or sending a spacecraft to Mars within the next three years) is to reinforce X with better resources. And the best way to do it is with a dynamic artificial intelligence that offers and responds with real-time, concrete information based on what is published on X (that’s Grok’s premise). It sounds good on paper (or on the screen), but this new feature would be more relevant if the alarming proportion of fake news and misinformation published on that platform were seriously addressed. The consolidation of Grok and its integration into X is the core conflict that troubles Musk in the face of OpenAI’s arrival at Apple.
After the announcement at WWDC 2024, Musk wrote messages on his social media platform X accusing Apple of «not being aware of what’s going on.» Let’s remember that he sued (and then withdrew the demand) the digital technology company in the recent past. Elon Musk has a history of conflicts with Apple. In November 2022, the ex-partner of Grimes launched a series of tweets accusing them of cutting their advertising on Twitter and threatening to remove the social network from their app store. Musk questioned if Apple «hated freedom of speech» and even criticized the cost of apps.
According to a recent report by the Financial Times, one of his plans is to create a project known as TruthGPT, which, from his perspective, would address «the alleged biases in freedom of speech and security that affect ChatGPT.»
At the WWDC event, Apple made a point about guaranteeing privacy. They stated that all requests and information obtained through ChatGPT would not be stored in any source. However, Musk insists that Apple’s words don’t match its actions.
Musk claims that Apple’s AI implies a security issue.
Musk referred to this technology as «creepy spyware,» believing it contains features threatening users’ security. «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,» the note stated.
Due to his paranoia, which only time will tell if it was justified, he banned meetings of more than two employees at X in 2023 out of fear of a conspiracy against him. His recent rants have caused controversy. Will he ban iPhones from his facilities? The decision seems more likely now, but it is yet to be determined.
OpenAI responded to Musk’s accusations in an official statement on their website (which they also tweeted): «Privacy protections are built-in when accessing ChatGPT on Siri and Writing Tools: OpenAI doesn’t store requests, and user IP addresses are hidden. Users can also choose to link their ChatGPT account, which means their data preferences will be applied according to ChatGPT’s policies.» After all, in theory, their goals are to «ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.»
Musk believes, however, that integrating OpenAI would undermine that premise by incorporating external software. «It’s 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! Apple has no clue what’s happening once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They’re selling you down the river,» he stated.
