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With the leaks turning out to be correct and Apple using its WWDC conference to join other firms in bringing artificial intelligence features to its products, Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink chief Elon Musk took to X to share that he would ban all Apple devices from his companies if the new features came into effect. Apple's release today was accompanied by updates on how the firm's latest A.I. features and a partnership with Microsoft backed OpenAI will not compromise user privacy, but Musk, it appears, remains unconvinced.
Not only did he share that blending Apple's industry-leading operating systems with OpenAI would be a "security" risk, but he went so far as to say that any person who brings an Apple device to his companies will need to have the device checked at the door.
Apple Shares Fall On Day Of A.I. Packed WWDC Announcements
Apple's news release for its latest A.I. features stressed that while blending in ChatGPT with its tablet, smartphone and notebook operating systems would help users with daily tasks like content and image generation, users' IP addresses would be "obscured" and "OpenAI won’t store" any prompt requests made on an Apple device.
However, it added that if an Apple user decided to link their account to OpenAI and ChatGPT, then ChatGPT's data use policies would come into effect. Apple also assured potential users that beefier A.I. requests would "draw on larger, server-based models" as part of a process that "cryptographically ensures that iPhone, iPad, and Mac do not talk to a server unless its software has been publicly logged for inspection."
Musk's initial comments for the A.I. announcements were quite explicit as they shared that if Apple integrated OpenAI into its operating systems, then it would mark "an unacceptable security violation" that would make him ban all Apple devices at his companies. These include SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink and others, and the executive added that visitors would have "to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage."
His next set of comments came roughly an hour later after Apple CEO Tim Cook shared details of the A.I. products on his X page. Responding to Cook, Musk reiterated that all Apple devices would be banned at his companies, as he went on to dub Apple's latest A.I. features as "creepy spyware." The Tesla and SpaceX billionaire has a deep history with OpenAI, and he has been one of its biggest critics as well.
Taking time to gather his thoughts, he criticized Apple for assuming that OpenAI could protect users' privacy and security. Posting on X, Musk shared:
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! \
Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They’re selling you down the river.
While Musk has criticized OpenAI for purportedly not staying true to its non profit ideals, he has remained relatively quiet when it comes to privacy. However, other voices, such as those in the European Union have raised such concerns. A key concern among some German companies surveyed by the International School of Management (ISM) was that executives worried about protocols when using A.I. to work with sensitive data, while the Italian data protection authority warned in January that ChatGPT goes against data protection rules.
OpenAI's privacy policy notes that users' personal information might be shared with third parties in a variety of scenarios, and also notes that the firm might "may aggregate or de-identify Personal Information. "
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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