In a strategic move, Apple has secured an observer role on OpenAI’s board of directors, according to a report from Bloomberg. This arrangement will put the tech giant on par with Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest investor and primary technology partner.
Phil Schiller, Apple‘s former marketing chief and current head of the App Store, has been selected to represent the company in this observer capacity.
While Schiller will not have full voting rights or director powers, he will be able to attend board meetings and gain valuable insights into OpenAI’s decision-making processes.
The report notes that this could lead to some complications, as Microsoft and Apple are often direct competitors. Additionally, discussions about future collaborations between OpenAI and Microsoft may result in situations where Microsoft would prefer to exclude Apple from certain conversations.
The observer role is set to begin later this year, coinciding with Apple’s plans to integrate ChatGPT capabilities into its upcoming iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia releases.
Users will be able to access ChatGPT for free without creating an account, while subscribers can connect their paid accounts to unlock additional features.
Key capabilities of the ChatGPT integration include Siri integration for enhanced responses, systemwide Writing Tools for content generation, and image creation features powered by GPT-4o technology.
With inputs from agencies
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