Fearing leaks, Apple restricts its employees from using ChatGPT and AI tools

In accordance with inner sources and firm paperwork reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Apple has restricted its workers’ use of ChatGPT and AI coding instruments corresponding to GitHub Copilot for concern of leaking confidential knowledge to exterior sources. In the meantime, Apple can also be reportedly creating comparable AI expertise.

ChatGPT is a conversational massive language mannequin (LLM) developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI that’s able to duties starting from answering questions and writing essays to aiding with programming chores. At present, the ChatGPT AI mannequin solely runs on OpenAI or Microsoft servers and is accessible by the Web.

Apple’s resolution to restrict using exterior AI instruments stems from a priority that confidential knowledge might be uncovered because of the nature of those AI fashions, which ship person knowledge again to builders for cloud processing and help in future AI mannequin enhancements.

OpenAI beforehand confronted privateness points with ChatGPT when a bug permitted some customers to entry info from different customers’ chat historical past. In response to criticism from Italy, OpenAI applied an choice for customers to turn off their chat history, which additionally prevents OpenAI from coaching future AI fashions utilizing their chat historical past knowledge.

An ongoing development

Apple is well-known for its rigorous safety measures, and its resolution to ban exterior AI instrument use displays a rising development amongst expertise corporations corresponding to Samsung and JPMorgan Chase. The Wall Road Journal reports that Amazon inspired its engineers to make the most of its proprietary AI instruments (like CodeWhisperer) for coding help as a substitute of exterior instruments.

To handle privateness considerations amongst companies, Microsoft recently announced plans to launch a privacy-focused model of the ChatGPT that will goal banks, well being care suppliers, and different massive organizations with heightened considerations about knowledge leaks and regulatory compliance.

This dearer enterprise model of ChatGPT is ready to run on devoted servers, separate from these utilized by different corporations or particular person customers, which is predicted to assist stop inadvertent knowledge leaks and forestall delicate knowledge from getting used to coach the AI language mannequin. Even so, it is uncertain a high-profile competitor like Apple would belief Microsoft with its confidential knowledge beneath these circumstances.

Apple’s inner AI developments

The Wall Road Journal additionally says that Apple is working by itself LLMs beneath the management of John Giannandrea, a former Google worker who’s now Apple’s senior vice chairman of Machine Studying and AI Technique.

Lately, we covered an inner report from The Info that questioned the conservatism of Apple’s AI technique amid criticism of drawbacks in its now seemingly outdated Siri voice assistant. Siri, which launched in 2011, briefly inspired a miniature model of the AI hype we’re seeing now.

It is vital to notice that whereas Apple has restricted ChatGPT use for its workers, that ban doesn’t lengthen to Apple customers. Simply yesterday, OpenAI launched an official ChatGPT client for iPhone within the US, who can now simply entry the instrument with an OpenAI account on the go.