Apple No Longer in Talks to Invest in ChatGPT Maker OpenAI

Apple has reportedly exited negotiations to invest in OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT AI chatbot, according to The Wall Street Journal.

iOS 18 ChatGPT
Apple had been in discussions to participate in a funding round for OpenAI that is expected to raise approximately $6.5 billion. However, Apple recently dropped out of the talks for reasons that remain unclear. The funding round is set to close this week.

The development comes just a month after WSJ reported that Apple was considering an investment in OpenAI as part of a fundraising effort that could value the AI company at over $100 billion. The high valuation reflects the intense competition in the artificial intelligence sector that OpenAI helped ignite with ChatGPT's launch in late 2022.

While Apple has stepped away, other major tech companies remain involved. Microsoft, which has already invested $13 billion in OpenAI, is expected to contribute about $1 billion to this latest round. Nvidia is also reportedly in talks to participate.

The news of Apple's withdrawal may surprise some, given the company's recent moves in the AI space. Apple previously announced plans to integrate ChatGPT into Siri on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia later this year. This integration will allow Siri to display ChatGPT responses directly with user permission. However, recent reports of turmoil within OpenAI's ranks as it pursues a for-profit structure, may have factored into Apple's decision not to pursue the investment.

That said, Apple's planned ChatGPT integration for its platforms is still expected to proceed before the end of the year. The company has said that iPhone, iPad, and Mac users will be able to use ChatGPT for free without creating an account, while ChatGPT Plus subscribers will be able to access paid features on Apple devices.

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
vision pro video recording

WSJ: Some Apple Vision Pro Buyers 'Feel Total Regret'

Friday May 16, 2025 7:43 am PDT by
Apple's Vision Pro headset has left many early adopters expressing dissatisfaction over its weight, limited use cases, and sparse software ecosystem, according to a new article from The Wall Street Journal. In the year following the device's launch, user feedback suggests that it has failed to meet expectations for comfort, software support, and social acceptance. In interviews conducted by T...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Could Debut Advanced Silicon Battery Tech

Friday May 16, 2025 8:00 am PDT by
The upcoming all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air could become the first Apple smartphone to adopt advanced battery technology, with Japanese supplier TDK preparing to ship its new generation of silicon-anode batteries by the end of June. According to DigiTimes, TDK CEO Noboru Saito revealed in a recent interview that the Apple supplier has accelerated its production timeline, moving shipments...
fortnite apple featured

Apple Says Fortnite for iOS Isn't Blocked Worldwide, Just the U.S.

Friday May 16, 2025 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today clarified that it has not blocked Epic Games from updating the iOS Fortnite app in the European Union, but it is not planning to allow Epic Games to offer Fortnite in the United States App Store at the current time. In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple said that Epic Games tied its U.S. App Store submission to the update that was also being submitted to the Epic Games Store for iOS ...

Top Rated Comments

L92 Avatar
8 months ago
Good. It's not a good look to invest in someone who's entire value is based on stolen content. Their partnership is weird as it is.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
winxmac Avatar
8 months ago
Goodbye Apple intelligence
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cjsuk Avatar
8 months ago
It's a dead end. They are distancing themselves from it.

Also note that CA vetoed the AI safety bill as it was pushed/sponsored by vendors and not independent or scientific. That's a big damage multiplier for the grift to fall.

Eventually we'll get a sensible end game out of this and I'm sure Apple will be at the front of "things reasonable"
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coffeemilktea Avatar
8 months ago

However, Apple recently dropped out of the talks for reasons that remain unclear.
I imagine seeing several OpenAI executives leaving one after the other ('https://apnews.com/article/openai-mira-murati-quits-df75217584696b442935dbccc9b0347d') was pretty clear. :p

OpenAI is very impressive technologically, but Apple execs must have figured something was wrong considering the exodus of big names leaving OpenAI this year.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ryan102 Avatar
8 months ago
AI is the biggest con going. They're about to roll out to bloatware on all the new phones.

We can add this to their pile of recent failures such as Airpower, VisionPro, Apple Car. They just seem to sit in Apple HQ and think 'I just came up with a great idea' and they throw billions at it and then realise later on it wasn't a good idea.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DBZmusicboy01 Avatar
8 months ago
AI is the worst thing that has happened to Tech the past 2 years. Apple should had just focused solely on Siri. That alone would had been significantly better than using tech that is very dangerous for the masses.
We need iOS 6 style of refinement ? but perfected even more. Instead of this iOS 18 mess.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)