Apple Fellow and App Store chief Phil Schiller will take on a board observer position at OpenAI, reports Bloomberg. Apple has been granted an observer role as part of its agreement with OpenAI, which will see ChatGPT integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, and Schiller has been selected for the role.
A board observer is an informal board position where the participant is able to attend and contribute to board meetings, but is not allowed to vote and has no control. OpenAI has also given a board observer role to Microsoft, so Apple and Microsoft will be on even footing with Schiller's new position.
Given Microsoft's relationship with OpenAI, future board meetings could cover new arrangements between OpenAI and Microsoft, which Bloomberg suggests could cause tension if Schiller is present. Microsoft can request that Schiller be excluded from these meetings, however.
Schiller has not yet attended any OpenAI board meetings and is not set to do so until later in the year.
Apple and OpenAI's deal will see Siri able to hand complicated user requests over to ChatGPT with explicit user permission. OpenAI is not paying Apple to integrate ChatGPT in its operating systems, nor is Apple paying OpenAI. No money is being exchanged under the terms of the arrangement at the current time.
