Key Takeaways
- Apple reportedly isn’t paying OpenAI — or vice versa — to put ChatGPT in Apple Intelligence.
- Revenue sharing may be a part of Apple’s future plans, but not yet.
- Google Gemini could be the next chatbot added to Apple platforms.
Apple isn’t paying OpenAI to add ChatGPT to Apple Intelligence, a core feature of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, according to sources for a new Bloomberg report. OpenAI isn’t paying Apple either, the report claims, since the arrangement wouldn’t be expected to generate significant amounts of income. Instead Apple’s position is said to be that exposing millions of people to OpenAI’s brand and technology is equal to or even better than regular payouts.
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The situation could ultimately be short-lived. Apple’s long-term goal is said to be cutting revenue-sharing agreements with companies that monetize results in chatbots, and that could include OpenAI, which sells a subscription version of ChatGPT called ChatGPT Plus. For now, however, the plan is that Plus customers will simply be able to log into their accounts to unlock more features when the new versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS go live this fall.
Prior to Apple’s WWDC 2024 keynote on Monday, rumors suggested that Apple was also in talks with Google about supporting Gemini in Apple Intelligence. If so, that would probably make Gemini the next likely addition to Apple platforms, particularly as a candidate for monetization. While there is a free version of Gemini, people paying for Google One’s AI Premium tier get access to Gemini Advanced, which can tackle larger problems and be used in more apps.
Apple Intelligence, third-party chatbots, and Google’s history with Apple
Apple Intelligence is the company’s long-awaited venture into generative AI, capable of things like writing help, image creation, and various other tasks. Many actions will be handled on-device, but some others will have to be processed on Apple servers. Beginning with ChatGPT, third-party chatbots will take over for any remaining requests, albeit requiring your explicit permission to run and share any necessary data.
The claim that Apple isn’t paying OpenAI is significant in light of its existing search deal with Google. In 2022 alone, Google paid Apple $22 billion to remain the default search option in Safari, with the benefits being ad revenues and attraction to other Google services. ChatGPT Plus is nowhere near as lucrative as Google’s ad business at the moment, but chatbots could hypothetically add billions to Apple’s bottom line if they become popular enough.
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