Elon Musk Says He Will Ban iPhones and Other Apple Devices

Elon Musk says he will ban Apple devices from his companies if the iPhone maker continues with plans to use OpenAI technology in its phones.

Apple announced that it will integrate this technology so that when users talk to Siri, she can pass some of the queries to ChatGPT, OpenAI’s extensive language model.

However, Mr Musk said such an update would constitute an “unacceptable breach of security”.

“If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, Apple devices will be banned from my companies,” he wrote on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, which he owns.

“Visitors will be required to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be kept in a Faraday cage,” a closed box that prevents incoming and outgoing wireless signals.

It can be assumed that Mr. Musk’s ban will cover not only company X, but also SpaceX and Tesla.

Apple previously said the feature would be released this year. OpenAI has confirmed its technology will be widely integrated into the operating system.

Both OpenAI and Apple have emphasized that this will include privacy protections. “Requests are not stored by OpenAI and user IP addresses are hidden,” OpenAI said in its announcement.

The integration means Siri requests can also be sent to ChatGPT, which will be able to pass along questions – as well as documents and photos – for assistance.

It will also be available as part of Apple’s new “Writing Tools” system, which allows users to generate content for their own writing or rewrite documents using fewer words or in different styles.

Apple will also integrate OpenAI image generation technology to enable the creation of illustrations to accompany documents.

All features are part of a feature set called “Apple Intelligence”. While this feature relies primarily on Apple’s own technologies, it also integrates those with OpenAI.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was present at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference where the new features were unveiled, though he did not appear during the keynote.

Musk and OpenAI have a long and complicated history. He was one of the founders of the company when it launched in late 2015 but has gradually become increasingly hostile toward it, criticizing it for failing to follow through on its founding principles.

He has since sued the company and Mr. Altman, accusing them of prioritizing profits and failing to fulfill their original mission. In response, OpenAI said it denied all of Mr. Musk’s claims.

Musk has also had a sometimes contentious relationship with Apple.

In 2022, he publicly attacked Apple and its CEO Tim Cook over the cuts it takes from iPhone payments. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Musk met with Mr. Cook at Apple’s headquarters.