Elon Musk is initiating legal action against Apple and OpenAI, alleging that their collaboration to integrate ChatGPT into the iPhone is hindering competition within the artificial intelligence sector. The lawsuit, submitted by Musk’s X Corp. and xAI, claims that Apple’s App Store is “deprioritizing” competing chatbots and applications, specifically citing alternatives like Grok and X.
According to Musk’s companies, iPhone users are purportedly discouraged from downloading third-party AI applications because Apple is reportedly making ChatGPT the default option when Apple Intelligence is activated. The lawsuit contends that Apple and OpenAI have monopolized the market, restricting the ability of companies such as X and xAI to compete effectively.
Earlier this month, Musk publicly threatened legal actions against Apple, accusing the company of manipulating App Store rankings to favor OpenAI’s services. He characterized Apple’s practices as creating barriers for other AI applications to ascend to the top of the App Store rankings, an action he described as a blatant antitrust violation.
The legal filing further points out that although the X and Grok applications have received positive rankings, they were not featured in the App Store’s “Must-Have Apps” section, which, according to the lawsuit, only included ChatGPT on a specific date in August.
Additionally, X and xAI argue that Apple’s association with OpenAI creates a protective advantage for the latter due to Apple’s dominant position in the smartphone market. The integration of ChatGPT into iPhones supposedly grants OpenAI access to a vast number of user interactions, potentially skewing competitive dynamics in its favor.
In response to Musk’s accusations, an OpenAI spokesperson remarked that the lawsuit fits a larger pattern of harassment from Musk. Apple also defended its App Store, asserting that its design aims to ensure fairness and is free from bias against competing developers.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/765171/elon-musk-apple-openai-antitrust-lawsuit