Two Elon Musk-backed companies, X and xAI, have filed a lawsuit in the US against Apple and OpenAI. They claim the two tech giants made an illegal deal that blocks fair competition in the artificial intelligence market.
The lawsuit focuses on Apple’s decision to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into its iPhones and operating systems. Musk’s firms say this exclusive deal gave OpenAI an unfair advantage by providing access to the activity and data of millions of Apple users. They argue that the deal made it harder for other AI companies to compete.
The case also accuses Apple of giving ChatGPT special treatment in the App Store, boosting its downloads compared to other AI chatbots. According to the lawsuit, this partnership has limited competition, slowed innovation, and helped Apple and OpenAI keep their powerful positions in the market.
Musk and Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, co-founded OpenAI together in 2015. However, they later became rivals. Musk has criticized OpenAI for moving away from its original mission and has since launched his own AI projects, including xAI and its chatbot, Grok.
OpenAI currently controls about 80% of the US chatbot market, while Apple holds around 65% of the smartphone market, the lawsuit says. This level of dominance, Musk’s companies argue, makes it even more important that competition remains fair.
Apple and OpenAI have faced antitrust questions before. Apple says its app store policies are fair, and it has been in talks with Google to possibly use its AI model Gemini for Siri in the future.
OpenAI responded to the lawsuit by saying it was “part of Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment.” Apple has not yet commented.
-Peace News Desk