OpenAI preparing legal action over Siri

OpenAI was preparing possible legal action against Apple as of Thursday, May 14, after the companies’ 2024 deal to bring ChatGPT into Siri and other Apple software features became strained, according to Bloomberg and follow-on reports from MacRumors, 9to5Mac and TechCrunch. Bloomberg reported that OpenAI had enlisted an outside law firm to examine options that could be pursued in the near term. Apple and OpenAI announced the partnership at WWDC in June 2024, presenting ChatGPT as an optional layer inside Siri, Writing Tools and other Apple Intelligence features. June 10, 2024, was the date Apple first said Siri could hand certain requests to ChatGPT, with users asked for permission before questions, documents or photos were sent to OpenAI. OpenAI said at the time that Apple users would be able to access ChatGPT’s capabilities inside iOS, iPadOS and macOS without switching tools. Apple later said in a December 11, 2024 release that Apple Intelligence included “seamless support for ChatGPT.” (bloomberg.com) ### What, exactly, is OpenAI said to be upset about? Bloomberg reported that OpenAI believed the Apple tie-up did not deliver the benefits it expected from the arrangement. MacRumors, citing Bloomberg, said OpenAI was unhappy with the level of prominence Apple gave ChatGPT inside Siri and related features. TechCrunch said the company had expected the partnership to help drive subscriber growth but came away dissatisfied with the results. (openai.com) 9to5Mac reported on May 14 that the relationship had become “strained” and said OpenAI was considering legal action over how the partnership had played out. Reuters-followed pickup in The Business Times said OpenAI wanted to resolve the dispute without going to court, but lawyers were working with an outside legal firm on possible next steps. (bloomberg.com) ### What did Apple and OpenAI originally agree to put into Siri? Apple said in its June 2024 product materials that Siri would present ChatGPT answers directly when the assistant determined the outside model would be helpful and the user approved the handoff. OpenAI said the integration also covered systemwide Writing Tools and image and document understanding. Apple’s September 2024 and December 2024 releases repeated that users who chose ChatGPT through Siri or Writing Tools would have privacy protections including obscured IP addresses and no storage of requests by OpenAI. (9to5mac.com) OpenAI’s current Apple Intelligence help pages still describe setup flows for connecting free and paid ChatGPT accounts on iPhone and iPad through “Apple Intelligence & Siri” settings. Those pages indicate the integration remains available to users even as reports describe tension between the companies. ### Has either company said anything publicly about a lawsuit? (apple.com) As of May 15, neither Apple nor OpenAI had published a public statement on their official sites confirming litigation. The reports describe legal planning, not a filed complaint. Bloomberg’s account, echoed by other outlets, said the work involved outside counsel evaluating formal options that could be executed soon. (help.openai.com) The New York Times reported on May 14 that OpenAI had been unhappy with how Apple integrated ChatGPT into its devices. That report also described the dispute as part of a broader period of legal pressure for OpenAI, which is already fighting Elon Musk in court. ### Why is WWDC the next place to watch? March 23, 2026, was the date Apple announced that WWDC26 would run online from June 8 through June 12. (bloomberg.com) Apple’s developer site says June 8 is the first day of the conference and the day of the keynote and special event at Apple Park. MacRumors reported that Apple was expected to unveil iOS 27 and macOS 27 at the June 8 keynote, with Siri among the features being closely watched. (nytimes.com) If Apple changes how outside AI models are surfaced inside Siri or Apple Intelligence, those details are likely to emerge at that event. That last point is an inference based on Apple’s WWDC agenda and the subject of the dispute, not a statement by either company. (apple.com) June 8 is the next fixed date in the story. Apple has already said WWDC26 begins that day, and any public product update involving Siri, Apple Intelligence or third-party AI integrations would likely come from the keynote or the developer sessions that follow. (apple.com) (macrumors.com)