He referred to the software integration between the two companies as “an unacceptable security breach,” and claimed that Apple is unaware of the actual situation.
Apple made its much-awaited foray into artificial intelligence on Monday with an update to its voice assistant Siri. The update includes Siri’s ability to access OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT chatbot. According to Apple, users will be asked for consent to share their queries with ChatGPT, and their information will not be stored.
Musk criticized Apple’s decision not to develop its own AI but to rely on OpenAI for security and privacy assurance. He warned that Apple devices would be prohibited if OpenAI is integrated into the operating system.
Apple clarified to CNBC that it uses its own AI and the integration with OpenAI is optional.
In response to a tweet from Apple CEO Tim Cook, Musk threatened to ban Apple devices from his companies’ premises unless Cook stops what he called “creepy spyware.” He also stated that visitors to his companies will be asked to leave their Apple devices at the entrance.
As of December 31, Tesla, Musk’s largest company, employed 140,473 individuals globally. The company has undergone layoffs this year amounting to over 10% of its workforce.
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but resigned from its board in 2018. He has been vocal in criticizing the company and its CEO, Sam Altman. Musk sued OpenAI and Altman in March, alleging that they veered away from the original mission of developing AI for the greater good.
Recently, Musk raised $6 billion in funding for xAI, a potential competitor to OpenAI. xAI’s first product, Grok, is positioned as an alternative to ChatGPT with politically incorrect responses. Aside from Tesla and SpaceX, Musk is also involved in Neuralink, a brain interface startup, and the Boring Company, a tunneling venture.
CNBC’s Steve Kovach and Lora Kolodny were contributors to this report.
— CNBC’s Steve Kovach and Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.
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