OpenAI and Apple has introduced a feature that lets ChatGPT read, write and send iMessages on Mac computers, a capability that raises privacy concerns for Apple users.
Bloomberg reports that the new feature works with ChatGPT on the Mac and allows the AI system to take actions inside Apple’s Messages app, including searching conversations and producing summaries of message content, in addition to reading, writing and sending texts.
Apple has built its brand around privacy protections and has been guarded about the contents of customer messages. A tool that could send Apple user data to OpenAI’s network is likely to draw scrutiny.
The rollout is especially interesting given the lawsuit Apple filed against OpenAI for theft of hardware secrets, which the iPhone giant claims occurred at “every level:”
Apple has taken legal action against OpenAI, alleging widespread theft of the iPhone maker’s intellectual property in a lawsuit that marks a dramatic shift in the relationship between the two technology giants. The complaint, filed in federal court in Northern California, claims that OpenAI systematically obtained Apple’s proprietary information across multiple levels of its organization.
In its legal filing, Apple stated that the alleged theft occurred at every level of OpenAI’s operations. “This much is clear, however: at every level, from members of its Technical Staff to its Chief Hardware Officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI has been stealing Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information,” the company said in court documents.
OpenAI, responding to questions about the new feature, said it requires a user’s consent and does not build an index of all of a person’s messages. The company said the plug-in runs locally on the Mac and relies on existing operating system tools, such as AppleScript and Accessibility, to interact with the Messages app.
Setting up the integration involves several opt-in steps in both the ChatGPT app and Apple’s operating system. When a user first activates the feature, a permissions screen in ChatGPT notifies them that the app will access on-device message history.
Users must also adjust privacy settings in the Mac’s System Settings app, including turning on a feature called Full Disk Access. They must additionally grant ChatGPT permission to access contact names and automation tools, a process similar to what’s required to enable other AI-based automation software such as Codex Computer Use.
OpenAI previously added support for analyzing data from a user’s iPhone and iPad Health app. In that case, Apple’s iOS and iPadOS systems require customers to specifically approve sharing that data with ChatGPT.
ChatGPT already integrates with other Mac applications, including Xcode, Notes and Terminal. Those connections are considered less likely to concern Apple’s privacy and marketing teams than an unofficial link to Messages.
The new feature could also compete with Apple’s forthcoming Siri AI, which is designed to search through messages and other content stored on a user’s device. That capability has been viewed as a potential advantage over third-party chatbots.
Read more at Bloomberg here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.