Apple Bans Employees From Using ChatGPT Amid Its Own AI Efforts

Apple has restricted employee use of ChatGPT and other external artificial intelligence utilities amid the development of its own similar technology, The Wall Street Journal reports.

chatgpt for iphone feature
According to a document seen by The Wall Street Journal and individuals who claim to be familiar with the matter, Apple is concerned that AI tools could leak the company's confidential data. In addition to ChatGPT, Apple has barred staff from using GitHub's Copilot, a tool that helps write code with autocompletion.

Many businesses, such as banks, financial services, and healthcare institutions, have avoided adopting ChatGPT out of fear that their employees could inadvertently give the chatbot sensitive proprietary information. Samsung banned employee use of generative AI utilities like ChatGPT after discovering that staff had uploaded sensitive source code to the platform. The company was said to be concerned that data transmitted to artificial intelligence platforms including Bing and Google Bard could end up being disclosed to other users. JPMorgan Chase and Verizon have similarly banned use of these AI tools.

OpenAI has already sold Morgan Stanley a private ChatGPT service that allows employees to ask questions and analyze content in thousands of the bank's market research documents. Microsoft is working on a version of ChatGPT targeted at business customers to address privacy concerns.

The move comes in the context of Apple apparently working on its own large language models and AI technologies, led by senior vice president of Machine Learning and AI Strategy John Giannandrea. Giannandrea previously worked for Google and now reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. The ‌Wall Street Journal‌ did not provide more information about what Apple's AI efforts encompass at this time.

OpenAI's ChatGPT has been accessible on the web and via several third-party iOS apps for some time, but yesterday the company released the first official ChatGPT app for the iPhone and iPad.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
New MacBook Pros Launching Tomorrow With These 4 New Features 2

M5 MacBook Models to Use New Compact Camera Module in 2025

Wednesday July 17, 2024 2:58 am PDT by
Apple in 2025 will take on a new compact camera module (CCM) supplier for future MacBook models powered by its next-generation M5 chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Writing in his latest investor note on unny-opticals-2025-business-momentum-to-benefit-509819818c2a">Medium, Kuo said Apple will turn to Sunny Optical for the CCM in its M5 MacBooks. The Chinese optical lens company...

Top Rated Comments

dumastudetto Avatar
15 months ago
People seem to forget that Apple already has pioneering and industry-leading AI with its Siri technologies baked into every Apple device.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
a m u n Avatar
15 months ago
Stupid title — itʼs about privacy.

Imagine writing code using GitHub Copilot for iOS or xrOS and Microsoft and OpenAI having access to the code.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DrJR Avatar
15 months ago

I’m not sure how Apple can enforce this rule. It’s a super useful program and unfortunately Pandora’s box has been opened.
It is absolutely enforceable. I shudder at the thought of how tight their development ecosystem must be.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lkrupp Avatar
15 months ago
"Apple is concerned that AI tools could leak the company's confidential data..."

That’s a perfectly valid concern and probably a good idea.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DrJR Avatar
15 months ago
GPT isn't good for much at higher levels of development work anyway. Apple is correct, whether or not it can control it, from a legal and security perspective. I applaud them.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
markgpearse Avatar
15 months ago
Totally appropriate for a business to control business-owned hardware and software used on their hardware.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)