Oliver Haslam·

OpenAI Adds Apple’s Phil Schiller As A Board Observer As iOS 18 ChatGPT Integration Nears

Apple’s unveiling of iOS 18 at the WWDC event on June 10 saw the company confirm that OpenAI’s ChatGPT will be part of the update, allowing iPhone owners to ask the chatbot questions and set it tasks.

Now, a new report notes that Apple has been given an Open AI board observer role as part of the move.

That role, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports, will see Phil Schiller become involved with OpenAI. However, he won’t be serving as a full-fledged director.

The move also mimics a similar one that followed OpenAI’s deal with Microsoft and will mean that both Apple and the Windows software maker will have board observer roles. That, Gurman notes, could make things particularly interesting.

Having Microsoft and Apple sit in on board meetings could create complications for the tech giants, which have been rivals and partners over the decades. Some OpenAI board meetings will likely discuss future AI initiatives between OpenAI and Microsoft — deliberations that the latter company may want Schiller excluded from. Board observers often do oblige and exit meetings during discussions that are seen as sensitive.

The iOS 18 software is set to launch later this year and is currently available to developers as part of an ongoing beta program. A public beta is expected to launch this month, too.

The iPhone won’t be the only device to benefit from ChatGPT integration, however, with the iPad and Mac also receiving their own software updates that will add the feature later this year.

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