Apple has renewed talks with OpenAI on the startup’s use of technology to boost some new features coming to the iPhone later this year, according to people familiar with the matter.
The two companies have begun discussing the terms of a possible agreement and How OpenAI features would be integrated into Apple’s iOS 18the next operating system of the iPhonesaid the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.
The measure marks a reopening of dialogue between companies. Apple had spoken to OpenAI about a deal earlier this year, although work between the two parties had been minimal since then. Apple is also still in talks with Google, from Alphabetabout licensing that company’s Gemini chatbot.
Apple has not made a final decision on which partners it will use and there is no guarantee a deal will be reached. The company may eventually reach a deal with both OpenAI and Google, or choose another provider entirely. Representatives for Apple, OpenAI and Google declined to comment.
What is known about the next iPhone operating system?
The next iPhone operating system will include several new features based on Apple’s internal big language model (AI software that can generate human-sounding text), but the company has also been looking for partners to push a feature similar to a chatbot similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Bloomberg first reported in March on the discussions, which also included artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The latest development comes about a month and a half before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where it is set to unveil new AI software and services. The company plans to tout its features as more seamlessly integrated into its devices than competing AI offerings, with better privacy protections.
Last year, Cook said he personally uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but indicated there were “a number of issues that need to be resolved.” He promised that new AI features would come to Apple platforms in a “very thoughtful” way.
Relying on partners would help accelerate Apple’s push toward chatbots and avoid some risks. By outsourcing generative AI functions to another company, Cook is potentially reducing the liability of its platform.
