OpenAI prepares legal action against Apple

OpenAI is preparing possible legal action against Apple after a two-year partnership that put ChatGPT inside Siri and other Apple software became strained, according to Reuters and Bloomberg. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters on May 14 that OpenAI’s lawyers were working with an outside law firm on options that could include notifying Apple of a breach of contract, short of filing a full lawsuit. Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment, and OpenAI has not publicly detailed any legal claim. The dispute centers on a partnership the companies announced on June 10, 2024, when Apple said ChatGPT would be integrated into Siri, Writing Tools and other experiences across iOS, iPadOS and macOS. ### What exactly did OpenAI and Apple agree to in 2024? Apple and OpenAI announced at WWDC on June 10, 2024, that ChatGPT would be built into Apple experiences, including Siri, systemwide Writing Tools and image-generation features. OpenAI said at the time that users could access ChatGPT for free without creating an account, while subscribers could connect their accounts to use paid features inside Apple’s software. (businesstimes.com.sg) OpenAI said in its June 2024 announcement that Siri could tap ChatGPT “when helpful,” and Apple said users would be asked before questions, documents or photos were sent to ChatGPT. Apple presented the arrangement as part of Apple Intelligence, its broader artificial-intelligence push for iPhone, iPad and Mac. ### What are lawyers reportedly looking at now? Reuters reported on May 14, citing a person familiar with the matter, that OpenAI wanted to resolve its issues without going to court but was actively exploring legal options with outside counsel. (openai.com) Those options include sending Apple notice of an alleged breach of contract without immediately filing a lawsuit, the person said. Bloomberg reported the same day that the relationship had frayed after OpenAI concluded it had not received the benefits it expected from the deal. Reuters said the source confirmed Bloomberg’s account of OpenAI’s internal deliberations. ### What does OpenAI say it did not get from the partnership? (businesstimes.com.sg) Reuters reported that OpenAI believed the Apple deal would lift ChatGPT subscriptions and lead to deeper integration across Apple apps. Instead, the source said, OpenAI failed to see the expected benefits and its efforts to renegotiate the arrangement had stalled. (businesstimes.com.sg) The original OpenAI announcement in June 2024 said ChatGPT subscribers would be able to connect their accounts and access paid features from inside Apple experiences. That made subscription growth a concrete commercial path built into the partnership from the start. ### Is this about Apple adding other AI partners? Reuters reported that Apple is moving toward letting users choose among third-party AI models and that OpenAI could lose its unique role inside Apple software. (businesstimes.com.sg) Bloomberg reported, and Reuters repeated, that Apple has been testing Anthropic’s Claude and Google Gemini integrations as part of that effort. (openai.com) The same Reuters report said Apple’s work with other providers was not, by itself, driving OpenAI’s legal preparations because the partnership was not meant to be exclusive from the start. That narrows the dispute to execution and expected benefits rather than exclusivity, based on the source’s account. (businesstimes.com.sg) ### How much of this is confirmed on the record? Reuters attributed the legal-preparation details to one person familiar with the matter, and Bloomberg reported similar internal deliberations based on people familiar with the relationship. Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters, and neither company has publicly released a complaint, legal notice or amended contract terms. (businesstimes.com.sg) OpenAI’s public materials still describe the 2024 deal as a partnership to bring ChatGPT into Apple products, and Apple’s public Apple Intelligence materials continue to say Siri can tap into ChatGPT when appropriate. Those official pages do not mention any dispute. ### What should readers watch next? Apple is scheduled to hold its annual developer conference in June 2026, and Reuters said the company is expected to provide more details about its AI plans there. (businesstimes.com.sg) Any public expansion of Anthropic or Google integrations, or any formal breach notice from OpenAI, would be the next concrete step in the dispute. (openai.com)