OpenAI said in court documents that ChatGPT integration offered on Apple devices fell far short of expectations. It also showed that inflows of ChatGPT users via Apple Intelligence were limited.

On Sept. 24, TechRadar and foreign media reported that OpenAI argued in court documents filed in connection with an ongoing legal dispute involving Elon Musk's SpaceXAI that Apple's ChatGPT integration was "notably weak." It said the integration was "consistently weak."

Apple linked ChatGPT in December 2024 to Apple Intelligence features such as Siri, writing tools and visual intelligence. Users had to enable the feature separately in settings or choose whether to use it via Siri and other tools. When usage of the integration grew more slowly than expected in January 2025, one month after launch, OpenAI lowered its outlook for an increase in login-based weekly active users (WAU) it had expected to secure through it.

Large parts of the court documents were redacted, so details of discussions between Apple and OpenAI could not be confirmed. OpenAI said the share of generative AI users who accessed ChatGPT through Apple Intelligence was very low. Catherine Tucker (캐서린 터커), an expert for OpenAI, said her analysis of that share matched OpenAI's internal assessment that Apple Intelligence usage was low. No specific figures were disclosed.

OpenAI also argued that the effect of Apple Intelligence's ChatGPT integration on competing generative AI services was "clearly limited." OpenAI judged that the tie-up with Apple did not meet initial expectations in expanding ChatGPT users.

The court documents alone did not show the specific reasons for weak ChatGPT usage. A complex activation process, Apple Intelligence usage rates, Siri's functional limitations and user preference for a separate ChatGPT app may have played a role, but it was not disclosed which factor was a direct cause.

The details were disclosed during a legal dispute in which Musk's side argued that the partnership between Apple and OpenAI restricted market access and user acquisition for rival xAI. Musk's side said the cooperation worked against xAI, while OpenAI countered that the contract between the two companies was not exclusive and actual user inflows through the ChatGPT integration were limited.