Elon Musk is arguing with Apple’s deal with OpenAI and is threatening to block all Apple devices

In his relentless quest to convince the world that OpenAI is up to no good and that only it can build the best and most ethical generative artificial intelligence models in the world, Elon Musk spoke out on Xitter on Monday after Apple announced its partnership with OpenAI.

According to an announcement made during Monday’s keynote at the World Developers Conference, Apple’s new suite of Intelligence products will be integrated with iOS systems, including apparently integrating ChatGPT with personal assistant Siri.

Apple senior executive Craig Federighi said Monday that Apple Intelligence will be a “you and your needs” and privacy-focused “personal intelligence system” that – and pointed to functionality that already exists on other platforms, including including Microsoft, such as automatic text completion in simple emails and the creation of “original” images and personalized avatars.

Musk was quick to respond to the news, writing on Twitter: “It’s patently absurd that Apple isn’t smart enough to create its own AI, yet is somehow able to ensure that OpenAI will protect your security and privacy! Apple has no idea what’s actually happening, and once it does, they hand over your data to OpenAI. They sell you down the river.

Musk then reposted a tweet from another person who suggested: “Remember when Scarlett Johansson told OpenAI not to use her voice, but they cloned it and used it anyway? Now imagine what they can do with the data on your phone, even if you don’t let them use it.”

Musk responded on Twitter: “Exactly!”

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, owner of ” (The latter is an enclosure that blocks all electromagnetic waves and communications, including cellular signals.)

Musk has previously made public his distaste for OpenAI and its direction, though some of his most ardent and loudest reservations centered around the politically correct guardrails given to AI models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. As previously mentioned, Musk characterized the solution as “artificial intelligence trained to lie to you” in a speech last month.

One example of what Musk posted on his Xitter account yesterday is a screenshot of an exchange with OpenAI’s ChatGPT4o in which the user absurdly asked whether “it would be okay to use the n-word” if it would save the world from nuclear holocaust. They then repeated the question but replaced the N-word with “wrong Caitlyn Jenner.” In response to both questions, the chatbot replied “No.”

We still don’t know what xAI’s approach will be when it comes to offensive language or concepts – their chatbot, Grok, is a work in progress and not publicly available, at least to regular users. Musk said last week that Grok is a chatbot “with a rebellious streak,” which seems concerning?

Is Musk’s outrage over ChatGPT’s supposedly limited integration with Apple’s operating systems exaggerated? CNN notes that Microsoft has stated that it will integrate artificial intelligence features – likely developed by OpenAI – into its Windows system, so will Musk ban all use of Microsoft products in his companies? Both Android and Google also integrate elements of artificial intelligence in their mobile phone operating systems.

And would Apple really risk the credibility of its long-standing brand when it comes to privacy? For example, in its Monday announcement, the company said that most AI applications will take place on individual Apple devices and will not be uploaded to any cloud.

“Apple’s approach to AI is actually more privacy-conscious than others, with the goal of processing as much data as possible on the device, as well as a fallback that explicitly asks users before sending information to OpenAI,” says Catherine Flick, professor of ethics at English university Staffordshire University in an interview with CNN.

Flick adds: “It remains to be seen how this workflow will be used in practice, but I think it’s just sour grapes on Musk’s part, as he runs a competing artificial intelligence company that wasn’t awarded a lucrative contract with Apple.” .

Bright, sour grapes. Like Musk, he announced in early March that he was suing OpenAI and its board for breach of contract due to the for-profit nature of the company, which he believes was not part of the original plan when he co-founded it.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quickly responded, releasing 2018 emails between Musk and others at OpenAI that seemed to suggest that Musk had no problem with the company taking the for-profit path because of the billions of dollars it had to raise from investors just to build a working AI model.

At this stage, Apple appears to be lagging behind when it comes to AI technology while its competitors are coming ahead, and we’ll have to see if this caution – or deliberate slowness – ultimately pays off from a customer trust and security perspective.

Previously: OpenAI releases old emails from Musk showing he has approved the for-profit venture

Photo via The Don Lemon Show