News earlier this week announced that Apple is partnering with OpenAI, the company behind Chatgpt, to provide AI capabilities to iPhones. However, it has also been reported that OpenAI features will be opt-in, so those who are not interested will not be forced to use these features.

The news comes from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, citing people "familiar with this issue." Clearly, the opt-in nature of the OpenAI feature on the Iphone is an attempt to appease cautious customers - some of whom believe OpenAI has some access to personal data.

Gurman said the partnership between OpenAI and Apple could add further scrutiny to the company, especially in light of safety and privacy concerns. "I think it's a good idea," he said. While Apple has been a strong supporter of data privacy and security for the past few years, the privacy factor can be a concern for some people. 

With that in mind, the opt-in system makes perfect sense. This gives Apple an opportunity to provide these AI capabilities and clarify how to keep user data safe and secure. But for those who aren't convinced, they don't actually need to do anything to keep their phone OpenAI free.

This is a win/win for both companies. Apple will deliver AI to its devices much faster than it would otherwise be possible to catch up with rivals like Google and Samsung. On the other hand, OpenAI is getting the exposure and benefits of being one key part of the world's best-selling smartphones.1 

Plus outsourcing allows Apple to distance itself from problems and controversies that may arise due to ai getting the wrong thing It is not completely off the firing line, but most of the blame lies with OpenAI.

Gurman points out that this is a very stopgap measure. OpenAI is likely to be responsible for many key iPhone AI features in the near future, but this hasn't stopped Apple from pursuing the technology in-house. This is not just AI, because Apple has a long history of putting a variety of key technologies directly under control.1. Apple Silicon is one of the most notable examples these days.

It's not clear when true Apple AI will be seen, but there are rumors that siri will undergo a generative AI overhaul at some point in the near future. Although this may not arrive until sometime in the middle of next year. It might be the topic of WWDC2025, not next week's keynote.