Apple-OpenAI deal: Why has Elon Musk threatened to ban iPhone maker's devices in his companies?

After iPhone maker Apple Inc announced a partnership with artificial intelligence major OpenAI, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has threatened to ban the former's devices from his companies.

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Musk raised concerns over users' security. "If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation," he said.

He stated that the visitors' Apple devices would be checked at the doors of his companies and stored in a "faraday cage" – an enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields.

"It's patently absurd that Apple isn't smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security & privacy! Apple has no clue what's actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They're selling you down the river," Musk added.

Meanwhile, X added context to Musk's post and mentioned that Apple has created its own AI called 'Apple Intelligence' and ChatGPT is an added feature within Apple Intelligence. It said that ChatGPT is limited to digital assistant Siri and Writing Tools and will need users permission for every use.

Apple said that ChatGPT's integration with Siri and Writing Tools will give users more expertise on topics. Siri will tap into ChatGPT for certain requests, including queries on photos and documents, the technology company said.

With Compose in Writing Tools, iPhone users can develop and illustrate fresh content from scratch. "You control when ChatGPT is used and will be asked before any of your information is shared. Anyone can access ChatGPT for free, without creating an account. ChatGPT subscribers can connect accounts to access paid features within these experiences," Apple said.