Apple Bans Employees From Using ChatGPT Amid Its Own AI Efforts

[MacRumors]

Apple has restricted employee use of ChatGPT and other external artificial intelligence utilities amid the development of its own similar technology, The Wall Street Journal reports.

According to a document seen by The Wall Street Journal and individuals who claim to be familiar with the matter, Apple is concerned that AI tools could leak the company's confidential data. In addition to ChatGPT, Apple has barred staff from using GitHub's Copilot, a tool that helps write code with autocompletion.

Many businesses, such as banks, financial services, and healthcare institutions, have avoided adopting ChatGPT out of fear that their employees could inadvertently give the chatbot sensitive proprietary information. Samsung banned employee use of generative AI utilities like ChatGPT after discovering that staff had uploaded sensitive source code to the platform. The company was said to be concerned that data transmitted to artificial intelligence platforms including Bing and Google Bard could end up being disclosed to other users. JPMorgan Chase and Verizon have similarly banned use of these AI tools.

OpenAI has already sold Morgan Stanley a private ChatGPT service that allows employees to ask questions and analyze content in thousands of the bank's market research documents. Microsoft is working on a version of ChatGPT targeted at business customers to address privacy concerns.

The move comes in the context of Apple apparently working on its own large language models and AI technologies, led by senior vice president of Machine Learning and AI Strategy John Giannandrea. Giannandrea previously worked for Google and now reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. The Wall Street Journal did not provide more information about what Apple's AI efforts encompass at this time.

OpenAI's ChatGPT has been accessible on the web and via several third-party iOS apps for some time, but yesterday the company released the first official ChatGPT app for the iPhone and iPad.

Article Link: Apple Bans Employees From Using ChatGPT Amid Its Own AI Efforts

 

[floral]

Oh wait, there's an official app for chatGPT now? I haven't noticed... I'll try that out when I get home :3

Anyways, huh. Not unexpected. It would probably lead to some of the secret juicy internal rumors being milled around in the models.

 

[klasma]

Non-paywalled source: http://archive.today/g6Irs

 

[PS8409]

I’m not sure how Apple can enforce this rule. It’s a super useful program and unfortunately Pandora’s box has been opened.

 

[DrJR]

GPT isn't good for much at higher levels of development work anyway. Apple is correct, whether or not it can control it, from a legal and security perspective. I applaud them.

 

[DrJR]

I’m not sure how Apple can enforce this rule. It’s a super useful program and unfortunately Pandora’s box has been opened.

It is absolutely enforceable. I shudder at the thought of how tight their development ecosystem must be.

 

[markgpearse]

Totally appropriate for a business to control business-owned hardware and software used on their hardware.

 

[a m u n]

Stupid title — itʼs about privacy.

Imagine writing code using GitHub Copilot for iOS or xrOS and Microsoft and OpenAI having access to the code.

 

[klasma]

I’m not sure how Apple can enforce this rule.

It would be trivial to block it from their company network. But the risk of potentially getting fired over its use might be enough of a deterrent.

 

[toobravetosave]

Oh boy cant wait for Apple to be 5 years late and bring the worst ai to the party.

Tim cooks legacy is $ and nothing more

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

I'm actually surprised Apple haven't mandated this earlier. Considering how secretive they're ensuring all there new products stay under wraps.

 

[CarAnalogy]

It is absolutely enforceable. I shudder at the thought of how tight their development ecosystem must be.

It had better be. That would be the supply chain attack of the century.

 

[CarAnalogy]

It would be trivial to block it from their company network. But the risk of potentially getting fired over its use might be enough of a deterrent.

Knowing Apple, probably sued as well.

 

[CarAnalogy]

It’s interesting that Apple doesn’t trust Microsoft not to steal their information. I would think if they were serious about it they’d do what Morgan Stanley did and buy a private instance. It’s not like they don’t have the money, or that it’s not something they need to be looking into very seriously.

 

[SB1500]

Non-paywalled source: http://archive.today/g6Irs

You are doing gods work with this 😍😌

 

[lkrupp]

"Apple is concerned that AI tools could leak the company's confidential data..."

That’s a perfectly valid concern and probably a good idea.

 

[dumastudetto]

People seem to forget that Apple already has pioneering and industry-leading AI with its Siri technologies baked into every Apple device.

 

[lkrupp]

Oh boy cant wait for Apple to be 5 years late and bring the worst ai to the party.

Tim cooks legacy is $ and nothing more

Give it a rest will you. Your obsession with Cook has nothing to do with this.

 

[JM]

“Hey ChatGPT, using the Swift programming language write a rock-solid OS that never breaks and is lightning fast for use on iphones”

“Done”

 

[timber]

At first it seems like a spiteful decision (eat own dog food by force) but the reasoning actually makes a lot of sense.
They still are going to probably bungle their own AI effort.

 

[Rogifan]

I’m not sure how Apple can enforce this rule. It’s a super useful program and unfortunately Pandora’s box has been opened.

I work for a large healthcare company. They recently blocked company wide access to Chat-GPT. Employees who need it have to request special access and be approved. Of course this is only when inside the company firewall and on company owned hardware. They couldn’t block me from installing/using it on my personal device.

 

[Populus]

I have a question about the ChatGPT app that Juli used to illustrate this post: Does the Whisper feature (that uses our own voice to communicate with the app) upload and keep our voice on the company’s servers? Thank you

 

[Menneisyys2]

"Apple is concerned that AI tools could leak the company's confidential data"

WOW... if your IQ is under, say, 90, surely you have problems creating prompts NOT having anything project/company-specific. But not for anyone with higher IQ - and that's the VAST MAJORITY of anything non-third-world country.

I too use GPT-4 for programming (it REALLY speeds up everything!) but make absolutely sure no confidential info is left in any kind of code / questions I post as prompts.

Apple shoots themselves in their foot as they're now reducing the effectiveness / speed of their coders.

 

[Menneisyys2]

People seem to forget that Apple already has pioneering and industry-leading AI with its Siri technologies baked into every Apple device.

LOL, sometimes one really doesn't know whether you REALLY think this way or just want to make us laugh

 

[klasma]

You are doing gods work with this 😍😌

Thanks to the archive.* sites.