Apple employees will reportedly be restricted from using ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools.
The news, first reported by The Wall Street Journal(opens in a new tab), comes as Apple is reportedly developing its own language-generating AI technology(opens in a new tab). According to the news outlet, the company is concerned that employees who use programs like OpenAI's chatbot could leak confidential data.
Employees have also been advised not to use GitHub's Copilot(opens in a new tab), which is owned by Microsoft and uses OpenAI Code to automate the writing of software code, the report says.
Apple isn't the first major tech company to restrict ChatGPT use by its staff. ChatGPT has been banned for Samsung employees after sensitive information was inadvertently leaked to the platform. Other institutions, like JPMorgan(opens in a new tab), Bank of America, (opens in a new tab)and Citigroup(opens in a new tab) have also banned ChatGPT to protect confidential information.
The chatbot, created by OpenAI, has recently struggled with private data breaches too. In March, a ChatGPT bug exposed user's payment information and the first message of new conversations. OpenAI seems to be taking these privacy issues seriously, rolling out a new feature in April which allows users to disable their chat history.
OpenAI is also working on a new subscription tier of ChatGPT for businesses(opens in a new tab), aimed at "professionals who need more control over their data as well as enterprises seeking to manage their end users."
Interestingly enough for Apple, OpenAI announced Thursday it was launching a ChatGPT app for Apple's own iOS.
