Musk to ban Apple devices from his firms over OpenAI deal

In a surprising move, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced on Monday that he will prohibit the use of Apple products within his companies. This decision follows Apple’s recent collaboration with Sam Altman’s OpenAI.

Musk, 52, expressed his concerns on X (formerly known as Twitter), questioning the protection of user data by Apple and OpenAI. He labelled their software integration as “an unacceptable security violation,” according to CNBC.

The tech billionaire criticized Apple, stating that it has “no clue what’s actually going on.” His remarks came after Apple unveiled its latest artificial intelligence developments, which included an update to its voice assistant Siri, now capable of utilizing OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.

Apple assured users that their consent would be sought before sharing any data with ChatGPT and emphasized that user information would not be stored. However, Musk remains unconvinced. “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!” Musk wrote following the event.

Musk specified that Apple devices would be banned from his companies if the tech giant “integrates OpenAI at the OS level,” referencing Apple’s operating system.

In a direct response to a post from Apple CEO Tim Cook, Musk warned that he would ban Apple devices from Tesla and SpaceX premises unless Cook decided to “stop this creepy spyware.” He added that visitors to his companies would be required to check their Apple devices at the door.

Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but stepped down from its board in 2018. He has been a vocal critic of the company and its CEO recently, even suing OpenAI in March, alleging that the organization abandoned its founding mission to develop AI “for the benefit of humanity broadly.”

Meanwhile, Musk’s own AI venture, xAI, raised $6 billion in a recent funding round. The company’s first product, Grok, is intended to serve as a politically incorrect alternative to ChatGPT, as reported by CNBC.