Apple will be given an observer role on OpenAI's board as part of the agreement between the two tech giants announced last month. This further deepens the relationship between the two unlikely partners that seemed unlikely just a year ago.
According to Mark Gurman, a technology expert and Apple journalist, Phil Schiller, App Store boss and former head of marketing, has been chosen for this representation. However, Apple has not yet attended an OpenAI board meeting, but both parties expect Schiller to attend before the end of the year.
Apple-Microsoft war
Schiller's inclusion as an observer ends the "competitive advantage" of Microsoft, which was already represented on the board as the main investor and technology supplier for Altman's company. The seat will allow Apple to attend meetings and have a voice, but no vote or decision-making power.
The war between Apple and Microsoft will continue as Schiller will be attending meetings where key decisions could be made between the Bill Gates- founded company and Sam Altman's company, and Microsoft will not want to share details with one of its main rivals in the battle for technological supremacy.
Schiller, 64, stepped down from his role as head of marketing in 2020 but is still in charge of product launches and the App Store. Outside of Cupertino, he runs a medical technology company called Illumina.
Apple is still in talks with Alphabet, Google's parent company, and the startup Anthropic to offer additional chatbots to its customers. It is also discussing possible agreements with Baidu and the Alibaba Group to bring artificial intelligence features to devices in China. Apple's intelligence will initially launch in English before going international and potentially becoming a paid feature.