OpenAI has launched a new feature allowing ChatGPT on Mac to control Apple's iMessage service, including reading, writing, sending messages, and summarizing conversations.
The move potentially raises privacy concerns because an OpenAI tool that uploads Apple customer data to OpenAI's network may conflict with Apple's established positioning as a privacy-focused company.
What happened
OpenAI rolled out support on Thursday for controlling Apple's iMessage service via ChatGPT on Mac, enabling the system to read, write, send text messages, search messages, and retrieve summaries and information about conversations from the Apple Messages app.
Why it matters
Apple has positioned itself as a privacy advocate and is protective about message contents, so an OpenAI tool that could upload Apple customer data to OpenAI's network may create tension with Apple's privacy stance and spark user concerns about where their message data flows.
What to watch
The feature is now available for ChatGPT on Mac; how Apple responds to the privacy implications and whether users opt into this capability will signal the balance between convenience and data protection in the AI era.
Ask the AI about this article →
OpenAI's rollout of iMessage integration on Mac represents a widening of ChatGPT's ability to interact with user data across Apple's ecosystem. The timing and scope of this feature highlight a potential friction point: Apple has long emphasized privacy as a core brand pillar and has been vocal about protecting the contents of user messages, yet the integration could move message data between Apple's encrypted environment and OpenAI's servers. This move may prompt users and regulators to scrutinize data-handling agreements between the two companies and to question whether convenience features are worth the privacy trade-off.
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