Apple Rejects AI Collaboration with Meta over Privacy Concerns
According to Bloomberg, tech giant Apple has refused to collaborate with Meta on AI-related projects due to privacy concerns. Insiders revealed that Apple and Meta had brief discussions about potential collaboration in March, but the talks did not progress, and Apple showed no intention of integrating Meta’s large language model, Llama, into its iOS system.
This report comes after The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that Apple and Meta were discussing the integration of Llama with iOS 18. However, Bloomberg’s subsequent report made it clear that Apple had long abandoned such plans.
The report pointed out that one reason Apple chose not to continue formal discussions with Meta was because the company believed Meta’s privacy protection measures were not stringent enough. Sources revealed that Apple had been critical of Meta’s technology for years and considered the integration of Meta’s Llama model into the iPhone as a drastic change.
However, it seems that Apple deems ChatGPT, or rather OpenAI, as a better choice. Apple officially announced its partnership with OpenAI and the integration of ChatGPT into the Apple ecosystem during the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 11.
At the global developers’ conference, Apple unveiled a series of AI features collectively referred to as “Apple Intelligence,” which includes features like notification summaries and emoji generation. However, when it comes to chatbot technology, Bloomberg stated that Apple still lags behind its competitors, prompting the company to seek external partnerships.
Insiders revealed that Apple is still in discussions with AI startup Anthropic, considering their chatbot as one of the options for Apple Intelligence.
Privacy Concerns Surrounding ChatGPT?
While Apple cited privacy concerns as the reason for not considering Meta, it is worth noting that ChatGPT, with which Apple has announced a partnership, has also raised concerns about “privacy.”
For instance, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, immediately tweeted after Apple’s announcement of the collaboration with ChatGPT, stating that such integration would create unacceptable security vulnerabilities. Musk announced that he would take measures to prohibit the use of Apple devices to protect his companies’ security.
Musk also criticized Apple, calling their decision absurd and claiming that they are not smart enough to develop their own AI, yet they assert that OpenAI can ensure user safety and privacy. “Apple has no idea what actually happens to your data once they hand it off to OpenAI. They are selling you out,” Musk wrote.
Musk went further to state that not only employees but even visitors entering his company must surrender their Apple devices at the door, which will be stored in a Faraday Cage. A Faraday Cage is a device that shields against electromagnetic fields, preventing any form of wireless communication between Apple devices and the outside world, ensuring that internal company information is not leaked.
Sources:
Bloomberg, MacRumors, Reuters
