Earlier this week, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, announced a new partnership with OpenAI to incorporate artificial intelligence into its operating systems.
Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but left shortly after, quickly threatened to ban Apple devices throughout his various companies: SpaceX, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Tesla. The dissatisfaction most likely stems from Musk wanting to promote his artificial intelligence company, xAI.
Musk Shares His Concerns of Security Violations
On Monday, after Apple’s announcement, Musk took to his social media platform X to share his thoughts on the integration.
He remarked that Apple’s addition of OpenAI tech to its systems was “an unacceptable security violation.” He then threatened that employees and visitors to his businesses would need to “check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage.”
History of Musk’s Issues With OpenAI
The conflict between Musk and OpenAI has been a long time in the making. In March of this year, Musk sued the company and its CEO, Sam Altman, claiming that the AI company violated its mission statement by prioritizing profits over humanity.
Musk, who is worth roughly $210 billion, continued his longtime feud with Altman over claims that the company broke an agreement to share its tech with the public. However, OpenAI signed onto a multi-billion dollar deal with Microsoft, essentially turning the tech into a completely for-profit business.
Tesla Founder Accused of Professional Jealousy
Altman quickly accused the Tesla CEO of jealousy. He thinks Musk regrets his earlier decision to part ways with OpenAI in 2018. At the time, Musk attempted to merge Tesla and OpenAI to create a doubly profitable company.
OpenAI’s executives responded to the lawsuit by claiming that Musk is professionally jealous that he lost out on profit and is currently struggling to fund his artificial intelligence project.
Concerns of Personal Data Protection With Added AI Integration
Musk isn’t the only person who has raised issues of privacy when using Apple devices integrated with artificial intelligence.
However, the company asserts that user’s personal data will remain private. When using iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, user’s have been assured that the AI system will not tap into personal data.
Could Musk Be Correct About Apple’s Data Risks?
During his lengthy rant on X, Musk accused Apple of having ” no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They’re selling you down the river.”
In addition, he posits that Apple has the funds and resources to create its own artificial intelligence systems but plans to trust an outside company. He fears that Apple can’t be trusted to operate its own system, so it ultimately can’t know if user data is truly protected.
Hundreds of Thousands of Workers Could Be Affected
More than 100,000 workers across Tesla, SpaceX, and X alone could be affected by the Apple ban.
It’s unknown if Musk plans to force employees to replace their personal devices like phones and laptops or if his companies will fund the change.
Personal feuds have affected Elon’s business in the past
This isn’t the first time that Musk has allowed interpersonal relationships to affect the profitability and functionality of his businesses.
Earlier this year, Musk fired Tesla’s 500-person supercharger team over a disagreement with the sector’s lead, Rebecca Tinucci. After feeling the negative effects of the mass layoff, Musk agreed to hire back Tinucci and several team members.
Artificial Intelligence Lacks Ethics at Its Core
Artificial intelligence can indeed be used to both help and hinder humanity.
On an industrial level, AI can advance medical research and improve safety conditions. However, the tool also has several negative connotations. As Musk suggested, it can immediately log all information on a person’s phone. Further, AI can never replace a human’s moral or ethical compass.
Musk’s AI Company Looking For Billions in Funding
After clashing with OpenAI founder Altman and leaving the company, Musk likely saw the commercial success possible with another new tech company.
In July, he founded xAI, which has already raised more than $134 million in its first four months of operations. Documents obtained by the Securities and Exchange Commission filing show that the company is looking for an additional $865.3 million from investors with a minimum of $2 million to have a stake.
Limited Options of Musk Bans All Rival AI Devices
It’s unclear how far Musk will let his feud with rival AI companies go.
Google and Samsung have already integrated new AI features into Android devices, so employees who are disallowed from supporting competitors would have a difficult time choosing new tech.
No Word on How Musk’s AI Could Be More Ethical
Grok, the AI chatbot integrated into certain X user profiles, has allegedly been designed to “maximally benefit all of humanity.”
However, it has yet to be stated how Grok will ensure data protection or be used as a more ethical AI chatbot than the competitors.
