Apple poised to join AI race with potential investment in OpenAI

Apple is reportedly in discussions to invest in OpenAI, the company behind the revolutionary ChatGPT. This potential investment, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, could further propel Apple into the competitive AI landscape, with OpenAI’s valuation expected to surpass $100 billion in its latest funding round.

Although specific details about the investment remain scarce, this development comes on the heels of Apple’s announcement that it will integrate ChatGPT into Siri with the upcoming iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia updates. This integration promises to enhance Siri’s capabilities, allowing it to deliver more sophisticated responses to user queries. Additionally, ChatGPT will be incorporated into Apple’s system-wide Writing Tools, offering users powerful AI-driven options for generating text and images.

Apple’s approach to AI integration is marked by a strong emphasis on user privacy. The company has assured users that ChatGPT on its devices will be free to use without the need for an account, and that data privacy will be safeguarded by ensuring that OpenAI does not store ChatGPT requests made through Apple platforms. Moreover, IP addresses associated with these requests will be obscured, further enhancing privacy protections.

The new AI features are already being tested by developers with the iOS 18.1 beta, though full ChatGPT integration is yet to be released. To take advantage of these features, users will need the latest Apple hardware, such as the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or devices equipped with M1 chips or newer. Initially, these features will be available only to users whose devices are set to U.S. English, with additional language support planned for the future.

Apple’s potential investment in OpenAI could also signal a broader strategy to compete with other tech giants in the AI sector. Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest strategic investor with over $10 billion already invested, is also expected to participate in the upcoming funding round. Nvidia is another potential investor. OpenAI’s rapid rise in valuation is a testament to the AI arms race ignited by the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, which has driven companies across various industries to pour billions into AI technology in an effort to stay ahead of the competition.