Apple's Phil Schiller to Serve as OpenAI Board Observer as Part of iOS 18 AI Agreement

Apple Fellow and App Store chief Phil Schiller will take on a board observer position at OpenAI, reports Bloomberg. Apple has been granted an observer role as part of its agreement with OpenAI, which will see ChatGPT integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, and Schiller has been selected for the role.

open ai logo
A board observer is an informal board position where the participant is able to attend and contribute to board meetings, but is not allowed to vote and has no control. OpenAI has also given a board observer role to Microsoft, so Apple and Microsoft will be on even footing with Schiller's new position.

Given Microsoft's relationship with OpenAI, future board meetings could cover new arrangements between OpenAI and Microsoft, which Bloomberg suggests could cause tension if Schiller is present. Microsoft can request that Schiller be excluded from these meetings, however.

Schiller has not yet attended any OpenAI board meetings and is not set to do so until later in the year.

Apple and OpenAI's deal will see Siri able to hand complicated user requests over to ChatGPT with explicit user permission. OpenAI is not paying Apple to integrate ChatGPT in its operating systems, nor is Apple paying OpenAI. No money is being exchanged under the terms of the arrangement at the current time.

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2

Apple Leak Confirms Four iPhone 16 Models With Same A18 Chip

Tuesday July 2, 2024 9:48 am PDT by
Code discovered in Apple's backend by Nicolás Alvarez and shared with MacRumors confirms Apple's plans to release four iPhone 16 models this year, and it indicates that the devices will all have the same A-series chip. There are mentions of new model numbers that are not associated with existing iPhones, and that have the numbering scheme Apple uses for its flagship devices. The code...
Netflix Smaller 2

Netflix Starts Booting Subscribers Off Cheapest Basic Ads-Free Plan

Wednesday July 3, 2024 5:25 am PDT by
Netflix is proceeding with its plan to discontinue its cheapest ad-free subscription tier, starting with the UK and Canada, with more countries inevitably to follow. The streaming giant has reportedly begun notifying users via on-screen messages about the last day they can access the service unless they upgrade. One Reddit user shared a notification they had received from the Netflix app,...
HomePod G4 Feature

Leak Confirms Apple's Work On 'Home Accessory'

Thursday July 4, 2024 9:15 am PDT by
Code discovered on Apple's backend by MacRumors confirms Apple is indeed working on a long-rumored home accessory in addition to the HomePod and Apple TV. The code references a device with the identifier "HomeAccessory17,1," which is a new identifier category. The name is similar to the HomePod's "AudioAccessory" identifier. Interestingly, the 17,1 in the identifier name suggests that...
iPhone 16 Pro Front Update Blue

iPhone 16 Pro Models to Adopt 'M14' Advanced Samsung OLED Panels for Improved Brightness and Lifespan

Monday July 1, 2024 2:52 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be the first Apple smartphones to adopt Samsung's high performance "M14" OLED display panel, claims a new report coming out of South Korea. According to ETNews, Samsung's "M" series of OLED panels are made for flagship smartphones, while "14" refers to the number of high-performance materials used to produce them. "M14" is the first...
macbook pro butterfly keyboard

MacBook Owners With Faulty Butterfly Keyboards to Get Payouts Soon

Monday July 1, 2024 1:09 pm PDT by
Two years after Apple paid $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over faulty MacBook butterfly keyboards, funds from the settlement will be going out to affected customers. An update on the MacBook Keyboard Litigation Settlement website says that the court issued a payment order on June 27, 2024, with payments set to be issued for approved claims by August 2024. Emails about the...

Top Rated Comments

Think|Different Avatar
3 days ago at 02:16 pm
Oh, wow.....This should be interesting.

Attachment Image
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Account25476 Avatar
3 days ago at 02:22 pm
If it were up to me, I would have kicked him out a long time ago. Arrogant, smug, and hostile towards developers. These people have had their time; now it’s enough. Get out of here.

Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coffeemilktea Avatar
3 days ago at 02:37 pm
At least now, when people ask why OpenAI isn't releasing GPT-5 or why it feels like the competition is out-innovating them, the board can say that it's because Schiller is giving them extra helpings of Courage™. :p
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
3 days ago at 02:23 pm
So a former marketing guy in the board meetings. Good for him!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Reverend Benny Avatar
3 days ago at 02:24 pm
"No money is being exchanged under the terms of the arrangement at the current time".....at the current time....
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
3 days ago at 02:34 pm

So not only is Tim not paying them, but one of his agents now get to sit and listen in on board meetings? Interesting
OpenAI is getting paid in exposure and potential paid sign-ups.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)