OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at the Microsoft Build conference in Seattle, Washington on May 21, 2024. Photo: Jason Redmond / AFP / Lehtikuva
Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of obtaining confidential information through former Apple employees as competition between the two firms expands from software into consumer hardware.
The case, filed in federal court in California on Friday, names OpenAI, hardware company io Products and two former Apple engineers. Apple alleges the defendants took confidential product designs, manufacturing information and supplier data linked to unreleased devices and used that knowledge to support OpenAI's hardware programme.
The lawsuit marks a break in relations between two companies that worked together on artificial intelligence features for Apple devices. ChatGPT became part of Apple's software ecosystem in 2024, but Apple has since shifted many of its latest AI services to Google's Gemini platform while OpenAI has expanded its own hardware ambitions.
Apple said the legal action followed an internal investigation launched earlier this year.
