Apple is reportedly making a rare move, investigating a potential investment in OpenAI after announcing a deal to include ChatGPT in its products.
Apple took the opportunity to announce its Apple Intelligence features at WWDC 2024. Apple Intelligence is based on Apple’s own intelligence models, but the company also tapped OpenAI’s ChatGPT for more advanced functions. The decision to partner with OpenAI was seen as a major win for the AI firm, especially since Apple turned its back on discussions with Meta and only promised possible integration with Google’s Gemini or Anthropic’s Claude at some future date.
According The Wall Street Journal, Apple is in talks to join a round of investment in OpenAI that is being led by Thrive Capital and also includes Microsoft. The round of investment is reportedly several billion dollars, and would leave OpenAI with at least a $100 billion valuation.
As WSJ points out, Apple rarely invests in startups, amking the reports all the more interesting. Like many companies in the tech industry, Apple clearly sees generative AI as a critical feature, one worth breaking with its historical pattern.