Apple shelved the idea of integrating Meta’s AI models over privacy concerns, report says | TechCrunch

Days after the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple and Meta were in talks to integrate the latter’s AI models, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that the iPhone maker was not planning any such move.

Apple briefly held talks with Meta about the possibility of a partnership way back in March, according to Bloomberg. This was the time when Apple was talking to multiple companies to explore integration of their models with their devices.

However, the company shelved the idea of putting Meta’s AI models on iPhones over privacy concerns, Bloomberg said. The report also noted that partnering with the social networking company also won’t do a lot of good to Apple’s image, given that the Cupertino-based company has criticized Meta’s privacy practices continuously.

Earlier this month, Apple released its own suite of AI features under the Apple Intelligence brand. Plus, it also announced a partnership with OpenAI to let iPhone users invoke ChatGPT for certain queries.

However, this deal is not exclusive, and Apple said it is open to integrating different AI models with its devices. At its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), the company confirmed that it will work with Google to deploy Gemini.

While Meta might not have the privilege of being directly integrated with millions of devices, the company will rely on its own apps, such as Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger with billions of users across them. On Monday, the company widely released its Meta AI chatbot to users in India, its biggest market in the world.