Apple will have representative on OpenAI's board of directors: Why does Apple need this and what problems might arise?

The current head of the App Store and former Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller will represent the company on the board of directors of the nonprofit organization OpenAI, Bloomberg has reported. Schiller will take on the role of an observer: he will be able to attend board meetings but will not be able to vote or act as a director.

A position on the board will allow Schiller to gain more insight into the inner workings of OpenAI, which is important as Apple plans to integrate ChatGPT into iOS and macOS this year. With user permission, the Siri voice assistant integrated with ChatGPT will be able to direct complex queries to the chatbot.

Apple, according to some reports, does not pay OpenAI under the partnership project but is expected to receive a percentage of ChatGPT subscriptions processed through its platforms in the future.

Previously, a representative from Microsoft, a major investor and key partner of the AI developer, also joined the OpenAI board. The presence of representatives from Apple and Microsoft on the OpenAI board may complicate discussions about plans with either company. Bloomberg notes that Apple management rarely takes seats on the boards of companies with which it collaborates.

There have been no official comments from OpenAI and Apple yet.