Elon Musk Threatens Ban On Apple Devices Over Its AI Launches

Date: June 11, 2024

Apple recently announced the launch of Apple Intelligence and revealed intentions to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT with iOS devices. Musk seems unhappy.

Apple is one of the leaders who have remained in the backseat of the AI revolution. Even though the company led the Virtual Assistant field with Siri offering advanced interactions, the boom of Gen AI quickly turned the tables. To catch up, the tech giant has launched its own Apple Intelligence, a capability name that covers multiple AI features across devices.

Apple Intelligence is in its initial run phase and is offered only to a limited set of devices equipped with M series chips. This includes iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and any Mac device with an M series chip inside. The AI tools offered assist in writing, image editing, and organization tasks. Apple states that these features are just a preview of what’s coming for them soon.

Elon Musk, the CEO of X, xAI, and SpaceX, disagrees with Apple’s AI moves. Though Musk didn’t talk about Apple Intelligence on a broader scale, he has expressed open displeasure regarding Apple’s integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, calling it too much. Apple is considering adding ChatGPT’s assistance to Siri’s interface upon receiving user consent to share their query or task with ChatGPT. 

The WWDC 2024 event also revealed many big upgrades, the most prominent being the Operating Systems for all device ranges containing M series chips. Apple announced the launch of iOS 18, iPad OS 18, MacOS Sequoia, WatchOS 11, VisionOS 2, and TVOS 18. This literally sums up every device platform that Apple serves.

According to Elon Musk’s tweet, he seems distrusted by the privacy measures that will be in place for users. In a series of posts on X, Musk wrote, “If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.” He added that anyone entering his company premises will be asked to store their Apple devices in a Faraday Cage that jams wireless network interactions. To prevent this threat from becoming a harsh reality, Musk has asked that OpenAI’s integration be limited to a dedicated app, not the OS.