Apple Reportedly Rejected Meta’s AI Chatbot Integration Proposal

A Bloomberg report from earlier this week claims that Apple rejected a proposal from Meta to integrate its AI chatbot, Llama, with iOS.

This goes against earlier June reports that Apple was considering integrating Meta’s generative AI model into its homegrown Apple Intelligence.

According to Bloomberg, discussions began in March between the two companies regarding a potential AI partnership, which happened at the same time as Apple’s discussions with OpenAI and Google about integrating ChatGPT and Gemini into its products.

However, Apple opted against integrating Llama with iOS due to concerns over Meta’s perceived lack of stringent privacy practices. “Apple has no active plans to integrate Llama,” the report says.

Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10 and announced OpenAI’s ChatGPT as its major AI partner.

“We wanted to start with the best,” said Apple software leader Craig Federighi in a post-keynote discussion, noting that ChatGPT “represents the best choice for our users today.” He said in the future, the company may also integrate other large language models (LLMs) into its software, including Google’s Gemini, according to the Wall Street Journal.

When announcing its partnership with OpenAI, Apple also emphasized a privacy-centric approach, promising users would be prompted for permission before sharing information with ChatGPT. “It’s aware of your personal data without collecting your personal data,” explained Federighi.

Earlier this month, Meta faced scrutiny from digital rights groups for its intentions to use public posts from Facebook and Instagram for AI training.

Apple is exploring potential partnerships with various generative AI companies like Anthropic and Perplexity, aiming to offer users a choice of different AI models based on their preferences. “People are going to want to draw on that kind of expertise that might not be part of our core,” Federighi said during WWDC 2024.