As Apple enters the AI race, it’s also looking for help from partners.
During the announcement of Apple Intelligence earlier this month, Apple said it would be partnering with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT into the revamped version of Siri. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple and Facebook’s parent company Meta are in talks around a similar deal.
These talks have reportedly not been finalized and could still fall through. Apple and Meta did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
As Sarah Perez noted, Apple’s approach to AI currently sounds a bit boring and practical — rather than treating this as an opportunity for wholesale reinvention or disruption, it’s starting out by adding AI-powered features (like writing suggestions and custom emojis) to its existing products. But emphasizing practicality over flashiness might be the key to AI adoption. Then, Apple can leverage partnerships to go beyond the capabilities of its own AI models.
So a deal with Meta could make Apple less reliant on a single partner, while also providing validation for Meta’s generative AI tech. The Journal reports that Apple’s isn’t offering to pay for these partnerships; instead, Apple provides distribution to AI partners who can then sell premium subscriptions.
And while Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI but is now competing with it through his new startup xAI, seemed so concerned about the possibility that ChatGPT would be deeply integrated with Apple’s operating systems that he threatened to ban Apple devices from his companies, Apple has said it will ask for users’ permission before sharing any questions and data with ChatGPT. Presumably, any integration with Meta would work similarly.
In another recent development, Apple has also said that while Apple Intelligence is set to roll out in the newest versions of its operating systems (including iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia) later this year, it plans to hold the technology back from the European Union, due to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (which is supposed to encourage competition in digital markets). It also said it will hold back iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screen Sharing.
“We are concerned that the interoperability requirements of the DMA could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security,” the company said in a statement.