Elon Musk's xAI sues OpenAI and Apple over anti competitive ChatGPT-iPhone integration

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI has sued Apple and ChatGPT creator OpenAI in US federal court in Texas on Monday, with xAI alleging Apple and OpenAI are illegally conspiring against the X, formerly Twitter, and Grok app.

The lawsuit claims that OpenAI and Apple have engaged in a deal that doesn't allow for competing AI-based apps, such as xAI's Grok, to reach #1 on Apple App Store rankings. OpenAI and Apple entered into a partnership to integrate ChatGPT into Apple's iOS operating system, which directly injects the power of ChatGPT into Apple's iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The lawsuit claims that part of this agreement between the two companies is to prevent other innovators, such as X and xAI, from competing in Apple App Store rankings.

xAI said it's seeking billions of dollars in damages. Musk wrote on X earlier this month that Apple's behavior "makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store," and in another X post on Monday the Tesla CEO wrote, "A million reviews with 4.9 average for @Grok and still Apple refuses to mention Grok on any lists."

An OpenAI spokesperson responded to the lawsuit, writing, "This latest filing is consistent with Mr. Musk's ongoing pattern of harassment."

This isn't the only lawsuit Musk has launched against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, as Musk is suing both parties in federal court in California to prevent the company from converting from a non-profit to a for-profit business. Notably, Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 as a non-profit.