OpenAI is exploring legal options against Apple after its high-profile partnership with the iPhone maker failed to deliver the benefits the ChatGPT creator expected, according to a new report.
Bloomberg detailed that OpenAI lawyers are working with an outside law firm on several options, including the possibility of sending Apple a notice alleging breach of contract without immediately filing a full lawsuit.
The tension centers on a partnership announced in June 2024, when Apple and OpenAI said ChatGPT would be integrated into Apple experiences across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. At the time, OpenAI said users would be able to access ChatGPT capabilities.
Siri would also be able to tap into ChatGPT when useful, with users asked before questions, documents, or photos were sent to OpenAI. The integration was positioned as a major part of Apple Intelligence, Apple's push to bring generative AI features to their products.
Apple's support page says ChatGPT can help Siri provide more detailed answers and can also be used in Writing Tools to compose text or images from a description. Users can enable ChatGPT without an account or connect an existing ChatGPT account.
But according to Bloomberg, OpenAI expected more from the deal. The company reportedly hoped the Apple partnership would drive subscriptions and lead to deeper integration across Apple's ecosystem. Those expected benefits have allegedly not materialized, and attempts to renegotiate the arrangement have stalled.
Reuters reported that the OpenAI partnership was not exclusive and that Apple has been testing integrations with rival AI systems, including Anthropic's Claude and Google's Gemini. Bloomberg also reported that Apple users may eventually be able to choose among multiple AI models, a shift that could reduce OpenAI's role inside Apple products.
OpenAI's legal concerns, however, are reportedly not about Apple working with other AI providers. Bloomberg said the dispute is tied instead to OpenAI's belief that Apple has not followed through on the partnership in the way the startup expected.
Apple offered direct access to hundreds of millions of device users to OpenAI, a potential funnel for ChatGPT adoption and paid subscriptions, and OpenAI gave Apple a way to move quickly in generative AI while it continued developing its own models and privacy-focused AI infrastructure.
The friction also lands as OpenAI faces other legal and corporate pressures. In a lawsuit by the Tesla founder, Elon Musk is accusing OpenAI leaders of abandoning the company's founding nonprofit mission. OpenAI has denied wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to reveal more about its AI plans at its annual developer conference in June.
