Two big tech companies, two well-known products, and one major collaboration. Surely, such a venture would involve tons of money to get things running, right?
Well, according to Bloomberg, it appears that Apple only “paid” OpenAI for featuring ChatGPT in its various operating system platforms with everyone’s favourite currency: Exposure. In other words, this particular partnership was signed in agreement with nothing more than hopes, dreams, promises, and probably the power of friendship.
In case you missed it, Apple announced a collaboration with OpenAI during its WWDC keynote earlier this week, where it was revealed that the latter’s GPT-4o model will power the AI functionalities on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. The former’s Siri voice assistant will leverage ChatGPT for tasks such as creating menu ideas, summarising articles, and identifying photos based on descriptions. Additionally, Apple’s writing tools will also use the same model to assist in writing, rewriting, and proofreading text. These features will be available without requiring users to log into or pay for ChatGPT, though additional perks will be offered through a Plus account.
Bloomberg suggests that OpenAI could profit from the deal by encouraging Apple users to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus at $20 (RM99.90 locally) per month, with Apple taking a commission on these subscriptions made via its devices. On the other hand, the iPhone maker aims to expand its earnings from AI by forming revenue-sharing agreements with partners. This strategy is said to be part of its plan to capitalise on the growing reliance on AI over traditional search engines, potentially impacting its profitable search deal with Google.
Speaking of which, prior reports suggest Apple is in discussions with the search engine giant to integrate its Gemini AI into iOS, though the outcome of this deal is still up in the air for now. There’s also word that the Cupertino-based company is negotiating with Anthropic to offer its Claude AI chatbot as an option.
(Source: Bloomberg)
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