Opinion: Apple’s Strongest Card Is Privacy And Security; Is It Enough To Win The AI Game?
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
People all over the world were eager to see what Apple was going to show at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) a few days ago. After seeing OpenAI’s new GPT4-o and Google Gemini’s AI updates, the expectations were high.
Apple had already hinted that developing a new AI model capable of competing in the AI assistant race was not within the company’s capabilities. Then, the rumors that Apple would partner with OpenAI turned out to be true.
Siri is not as smart as ChatGPT, but combining forces—even if this made Elon Musk rage—is a big move to help keep Siri afloat.
However, giving Siri access to ChatGPT (with the user’s consent) is somewhat disappointing coming from a company known for its innovation in technology. It also lacks the “magic” to ignite excitement and make it truly stand out as one of the best AI assistants of the moment.
Considering Apple isn’t paying for the GPT4-o service , I find myself wondering: as a business partnership, the information exchange would go the other way around, too, right? What benefits, other than exposure and mass distribution, is OpenAI getting from this partnership?
Maybe Musk was onto something when he shouted—or at least I read it that way— on X : “If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.”
The general fear of data exposure and control among AI-wary users is one of the reasons why Apple is trying so hard to convince everyone that its core values are the same as its most powerful card in the AI game: safety and privacy. During the WWDC , all Apple experts emphasized safety measures and repeated that privacy is among their major concerns.
The new Apple Intelligence will be aware of every single move made by users “without collecting personal data.” At least that’s how Apple explained the advantages of the new AI features at the WWDC, but to me, it sounds like a contradiction. Is this a wise strategy? Or is it just a desperate attempt to gain trust at a time when this technology is advancing so fast there’s little regulation in place, and it’s nearly impossible to keep up?
Can Apple truly guarantee privacy and safety, or is it just a business strategy to gain lost ground?
Apple, OpenAI, People, And Privacy
Just a few days ago, 7 former OpenAI employees, 4 current ones, and 2 Google DeepMind workers published a public warning expressing their concerns over the advancement of AI in terms of safety and security risks, including spreading misinformation, worsening social inequalities, and gaining uncontrollable autonomy that could result in human extinction.
OpenAI has already gone through multiple layoffs— including CEO Sam Altman —related to safety concerns. After resigning, former OpenAI researcher Jan Leike posted on X that “safety culture and processes have taken a back seat to shiny products.”
Even if the new alliance goes well, Apple hasn’t proven to be bulletproof against data breaches, either. Even though Apple has a strong security reputation, the company has been involved in several security breaches, like the iOS Zero-Click Exploit in 2021 and in 2023. And now, threat actor IntelBroker is claiming to have access to three of Apple’s internal tools systems.
Apple’s “privacy” card in the AI game could weaken even more if we consider that users haven’t been prioritizing safety and security either. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 70% of Americans don’t trust AI companies with their data, but also 6 out of 10 skip reading privacy policies.
This suggests that many users care about privacy but aren’t taking the necessary steps to learn about or advocate for what they deem acceptable in this sense.
While partnering with OpenAI might boost Siri’s capabilities, it also places Apple at the crossroads of innovation and ethical responsibility. It will definitely be a delicate balance between enhancing user experience while safeguarding the privacy and trust that form its brand identity.
It seems like a Sisyphean task to continue advocating user privacy in an AI ecosystem that is increasingly complex and challenging to secure.
Image by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash
New Report Reveals Effect of Space Travel on the Human Body
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by
The collaborative project Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA) released to the public the largest package of studies and data on aerospace medicine and biology ever registered last Tuesday.
The studies combine the work of over 100 institutions across 25 countries and were published in the journal Nature , considering samples from astronauts and the civilian crew from the mission Inspiration4 during commercial travel with SpaceX in 2021.
Inspiration4 crew—with little knowledge of research and data processes—agreed to contribute to science and registered biological changes with modern technologies. The civilian crew was only in orbit for 3 days—professional astronaut missions usually last between 180 to 365 days—but the information gathered was sufficient enough to aid studies, and new discoveries were even made.
“While in orbit, the Inspiration4 crew performed an extensive battery of scientific experiments, which have now been processed, sequenced, and analyzed,” states the publication.
According to TechCrunch , the Inspiration4 crew wore Apple Watches and environmental sensors were installed in the capsule allowing researchers to correlate data. In an interview with TechCrunch, Dr. Dorit Donoviel, co-author of one of the papers and associate professor in the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, explains that “it gave researchers unique insights into how changes in the confined environment affected things like heart rate or cognitive performance.”
Experts are trying to reduce mental load and use modern technology to register and process data—NASA still implements test models from 1970.
The 44 papers released by SOMA include different research based on “molecular, cellular, physiological, phenotypic, and spaceflight data.” Users can access all the raw data at NASA’s Open Science Data Repository and new portals have also been created to browse more results.
Nature’s findings show that space travel causes changes in RNA transcripts that affect health, such as kidney problems. It also highlights epigenomic changes—alterations in DNA after space travel—and notes that female astronauts’ bodies return to normal faster than males. Additionally, there are shifts in cellular states and microbiomes. The journal includes related studies and infographics to help explain these phenomena.
“These data can serve as a springboard for new experiments, hypotheses, and follow-up studies, as well as guide future mission planning and countermeasure development,” states the document. “This package shows how the modern tools of molecular biology and precision medicine can help guide humanity into more challenging missions, which will be critical for a permanent presence on the moon, Mars, and beyond.”
