Apple has rejected Elon Musk’s accusations that its App Store is biased against AI apps that compete with OpenAI.
“We feature thousands of apps through charts, algorithmic recommendations and curated lists selected by experts using objective criteria,” the BBC quoted Apple as saying.
The response comes after Musk threatened to sue Apple via xAI, claiming the iPhone maker was “behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store.”
Apple and OpenAI entered a partnership last year to integrate the AI company’s models and ChatGPT into Apple products, like Siri and iOS. But there is no evidence that the App Store favors OpenAI over other AI companies — indeed, AI apps like Perplexity and DeekSeek have topped the App Store charts over the last year.
In previous years, Apple would have likely ignored claims of chart manipulation. Today, however, the company faces regulatory pressure and new laws around the world to rein in its power in the app distribution market. Apple has also recently been taken to task by a U.S. district judge in its case with Epic Games over not implementing policy changes as the court instructed.
