One of the companies that is most advanced in the field of generative artificial intelligence is undoubtedly OpenAI. The company surprised the world with ChatGPT and the many new features that have been announced since the initial launch. OpenAI has attracted the attention of several giants, including Apple Park, which sees OpenAI as a company in which it might be interesting to invest!
Apple and OpenAI, what if the story went further than a simple integration of ChatGPT in iOS 18?
Apple is reportedly in discussions to make a significant investment in OpenAI, according to a recent article in Wall Street Journal. This news arouses particular attention, because it is rare for Apple to invest in external companies; usually, the Cupertino company prefers to buy companies directly and integrate their employees into its own workforce. Apple’s potential investment comes as OpenAI considers a new funding round, which could push its valuation beyond $100 billion.
On several occasions, Apple has expressed confidence in the potential of OpenAI and future innovations. It is this shared vision that led the two companies to come together to conclude an agreement around the next update cycles.
One of the most exciting aspects of this partnership is the integration of ChatGPT with Siri. Planned for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, this integration should see the light of day before the end of the year in the United States. Through this collaboration, Siri will be able to display ChatGPT responses in response to users’ questions and requests, subject to their consent. OpenAI’s GPT-4o model (currently the highest performance model available to the general public) will power ChatGPT on Apple platforms.
iPhone, iPad, and Mac users will be able to access ChatGPT for free, without needing to create an account. However, Apple will encourage the creation of accounts and offer users the option to subscribe to the ChatGPT Plus subscription to benefit from additional features. ChatGPT Plus subscribers will have the option to link their accounts to access premium features on their Apple devices.
Apple and OpenAI also appear to share a commitment to protecting user privacy. OpenAI will not retain requests made via Apple devices and users’ IP addresses will be anonymized.
This potential investment by Apple in OpenAI (for an unknown amount for the moment) could be a major development in the relationship of the two companies. New technologies developed by OpenAI could also arrive more quickly in the Apple ecosystem in the future.
Updated 09/28:
Apple no longer plans to invest in OpenAI, according to a new report of Wall Street Journal. The announcement comes as OpenAI plans to close a $6.5 billion funding round next week, with possible investments from Microsoft and Nvidia.
