By Lucy Adautin
Apple plans to enhance its Siri voice assistant and operating systems by integrating OpenAI’s ChatGPT, aiming to advance in the competitive AI landscape.
At its annual developers’ conference on Monday, Apple unveiled a significant update to Siri, along with several other new features. This is part of a new personalized AI system named “Apple Intelligence,” designed to simplify navigation across Apple devices.
The updates to iPhone and Mac operating systems will incorporate ChatGPT, thanks to a partnership with OpenAI. ChatGPT will enhance various tools, such as text and content generation. A test version of these features will be available in the autumn.
Tim Cook, Apple chief executive said the move would bring his company’s products “to new heights” as he opened the Worldwide Developers Conference at the tech giant’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.
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The announcement was not welcomed by all. Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and X, threatened to ban iPhones from his companies due to “data security”.
“Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI,” Musk said on X. “They’re selling you down the river.”
Apple has faced pressure to introduce new AI features to its products after the rapid rise of rivals who have adopted the technology. After it was usurped by Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company in January, Apple was overtaken again by Nvidia in early June.
“Apple Intelligence” isn’t a standalone product or app, but will be integrated into all Apple apps and products. It functions similarly to Microsoft’s AI assistant Copilot, providing features like message refinement and route planning, without additional cost. Siri, acquired by Apple in 2010, has been updated with a new interface and more conversational style to enhance user navigation. During Monday’s keynote, Apple emphasized the security of Apple Intelligence.
Apple’s integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT marks a shift for the company known for its tight product control. This comes as Google and Microsoft face scrutiny over AI errors, and Apple previously resisted external apps and browsers until EU legislation forced changes. This move suggests Apple acknowledges ChatGPT’s superiority, underscoring OpenAI’s dominance. Apple also announced its Vision Pro headset will launch in the UK on 12 July, following its US release.
