(Credit: Apple WWDC)
Apple is not paying OpenAI for an upcoming ChatGPT integration, and instead views exposure to its massive user base as more lucrative than a cash deal, Bloomberg reports.
The two companies do not expect the partnership will create an immediate, new revenue stream, but they still benefit from it in different ways. For Apple, the deal gives its users access to one of the best AI models for free—no login required. With Apple Intelligence, they can tap into ChatGPT when writing texts and emails on newer iPhone, iPads, or MacBooks, and Siri can direct questions to ChatGPT with the user's permission.
OpenAI notes that with Apple Intelligence, "ChatGPT subscribers can connect their accounts and access paid features right from these experiences." So exposure to ChatGPT could entice more people to sign up for the $20-per-month ChatGPT Plus and unlock more functionality.
ChatGPT's traffic has ebbed and flowed since its record-setting first months, at times going through slumps and then rising again after new releases. Along the way, OpenAI has never reported a higher number than "100 million users," but popping up on iPhones may introduce the chatbot to the large number of people who have never used it.
Apple plans to eventually offer other chatbots, which may include Google Gemini and Anthropic's Claude. Eventually, the Cupertino-based company aims to make money by taking a cut from AI partners that have figured out how to monetize chatbot responses on Apple platforms, Bloomberg says. This could offset potential revenue loss from its Google search deal, as its users may favor chatbot responses over search engine results.
Other websites and publications are also diversifying their revenue streams away from Google. Stack Overflow, The Financial Times, Reddit, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and others have signed content-licensing deals with OpenAI, which gives it permission to scrape and use their content for ChatGPT answers. Others, like the New York Times, have sued to prevent OpenAI from using its reporting in chatbot responses.