Apple is going all-in on its artificial intelligence ambitions — and it’s apparently turning to the company that kicked off the generative-AI hype for help.
The tech giant is partnering with OpenAI to integrate its chatbot, ChatGPT, into the iPhone’s operating system, Bloomberg reported. Apple is expected to announce the deal at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference which starts on June 10.
The agreement will reportedly give the ChatGPT-maker access to potentially millions of Apple users, as the chatbot’s capabilities get paired with Apple’s applications and services. However, Apple is expected to make the AI feature an opt-in service, Bloomberg wrote, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation.
It will likely be a “short- to medium-term relationship,” for Apple and OpenAI, Dag Kittlaus, co-founder of Siri before it was acquired by Apple, told Bloomberg. “But you can bet that they will be working hard building out their own competencies here.”
Neither Apple nor OpenAI immediately responded to a request for comment.
Apple is still in discussions with Google to use its Gemini AI chatbot in its devices, but reached the deal with OpenAI first, Bloomberg reported, adding that people said Apple may end up offering multiple third-party chatbots. Part of the reason for choosing OpenAI was better business terms and Apple’s trust in the firm’s technology being the top of the AI industry, one of the people told Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, Siri is also reportedly getting an AI overhaul that will let people control apps with their voices. The new Siri system, powered by large language models, or LLMs — a core part of generative AI technology such as ChatGPT — will enable the virtual assistant to control features within apps, Bloomberg reported. Siri may soon be able to send or delete emails, open specific publications on Apple News, and summarize an article on iPhone and iPad. In May, the New York Times wrote that a new AI-powered Siri would be “more conversational and versatile,” and be able to chat instead of just responding to questions.
