Apple plans to enhance its Siri voice assistant and operating systems by integrating OpenAI’s ChatGPT, as it aims to advance in the AI competition.
The company revealed the Siri upgrade along with various other new features at its annual developers’ conference on Monday.
This initiative is part of a new personalized AI system, called “Apple Intelligence,” designed to help users navigate Apple devices more effortlessly.
Updates to the iPhone and Mac operating systems will enable access to ChatGPT through a partnership with developer OpenAI.
ChatGPT will also enhance other tools, including text and content generation, with a test version available in the autumn.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that this move would elevate the company’s products “to new heights” as he kicked off the Worldwide Developers Conference at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.
However, the announcement faced criticism from Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and Twitter/X, who threatened to ban iPhones from his companies due to “data security” concerns.
“Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI,” Mr Musk said on X. “They’re selling you down the river.”
Apple has been under pressure to introduce new AI features to its products following the swift rise of competitors who have embraced the technology.
After losing its status as the world’s most valuable company to Microsoft in January, Apple was overtaken again by Nvidia in early June.
Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, commented that while Apple’s new personalized AI system “should help placate nervous investors,” the integration of ChatGPT might expose and create more profound issues for the company.
“Arguably this sees Apple admitting its limitations given ChatGPT will kick in at a point where Siri is no longer able to help a user,” he told the BBC.
Apple has been largely absent in the avalanche of AI products released by tech firms in recent months.
Mr Cook told investors in 2023 that the company would approach the tech with care. On Monday, those plans were finally laid out.