Apple is reportedly considering making investment into OpenAI, makers of the popular ChatGPT service, in a move that could shore up Apple’s standing in the AI marketplace.
As part of the Apple Intelligence initiative arriving later in the year as part of iOS 18, Apple will allow users to connect Siri to ChatGPT to handle queries. However, the involvement of the two companies could be deepened by a cash injection from Apple.
There are talks for Apple to invest into OpenAI as part of a new funding round, according to the Wall Street Journal. It is unknown how much the investment will be, but it’s likely to be in the billions.
A previous report revealed that venture capitalist company Thrive Capital is leading the round itself, which is anticipated to total several billion dollars in value.
Apple probably wouldn’t be the only major tech company to put money into the venture. Microsoft has already invested $13 billion into OpenAI since 2019, owns a 49% share of its profits, and is also believed to be putting more in as part of the ropund.
Following the partnership announcement at WWDC, Apple was reportedly looking for a new board obserber role at OpenAI, one that could’ve been occupied by Phil Schiller. However, that July rumor was quashed as Microsoft resigned its own observer seat.
For Apple, the investment is a logical move since it is working directly with the company in improving its Apple Intelligence effort. It could also allow Apple to deepen the integration, potentially doing so in a similar way to Microsoft and its own products.
