Arabic version: آبل تقاضي أوبن إيه آي وتتهمها بسرقة أسرار الأجهزة

Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in federal court in Northern California, alleging that the AI lab stole trade secrets to develop its own consumer hardware. According to CNBC, the iPhone maker says OpenAI took intellectual property and confidential information in coordination with employees and business partners.

The complaint names OpenAI executives and former Apple staff as defendants, including OpenAI’s chief hardware officer Tang Tan and a former Apple employee, Chang Liu. Apple alleges Tan directed job candidates still working at Apple to bring “actual parts” to interviews for “show and tell” sessions, and that OpenAI coached departing employees on how to evade Apple’s security processes. The filing also claims Liu stole an Apple laptop and that IO Products, the startup OpenAI bought from former Apple designer Jony Ive, is named in the suit; CNBC reported OpenAI acquired IO Products for $6.4 billion.

This matters because the companies had a high-profile partnership in 2024 integrating ChatGPT into Apple’s operating system, and Apple’s complaint says the alleged conduct relates to hardware development. The suit notes Apple is seeking damages, injunctions, and an order to force OpenAI to stop using Apple’s trade secrets. The case also arrives as OpenAI faces other legal challenges, a factor the complaint and coverage suggest could affect the company’s business plans.

Apple’s filing describes specific technical and manufacturing allegations, including an assertion that OpenAI has asked hardware partners to carry out a metal finishing technique Apple says it invented. CNBC noted Apple has shifted its updated Siri assistant to use Google’s Gemini models rather than OpenAI’s technology. OpenAI has not announced the timing or details of any consumer hardware product, though CEO Sam Altman has said the company finished its first prototypes.

What happens next: Apple is seeking legal remedies including damages and injunctions, and the lawsuit could trigger further litigation over the partnership and the use of technology claimed to be Apple’s. Apple did not specify in the filing whether the suit will affect its existing integration of ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence, and OpenAI issued a statement saying it remains focused on building technology while denying interest in other companies’ trade secrets.

Related sections: General | Economy/اقتصاد | World/العالم