Tim Cook uses ChatGPT and says Apple is watching closely

While Apple spent its entire WWDC keynote carefully avoiding the words "artificial intelligence," its top executive was singing a slightly different tune the very next morning.

In an interview with ABC's Good Morning America, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that he personally uses ChatGPT and is genuinely excited about its unique applications. More importantly, Cook noted that Apple is looking at the technology closely.

Quiet integrations versus flashy chatbots

The comments aired just one day after Apple unveiled a slew of machine learning updates for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The company introduced smarter autocorrect, dictation improvements, intelligent prompts for a new Journal app, and expanded facial recognition that can even identify household pets.

Cook pointed out that Apple already weaves AI across its devices, but general users do not necessarily label those everyday features as artificial intelligence. When it comes to large language models like ChatGPT and Google Bard, Cook acknowledged their great promise, while warning about real concerns around bias, misinformation, and potentially worse outcomes.

The burden of self-regulation

Cook also weighed in on the raging debate over guardrails, offering a blunt reality check on government intervention. While regulation is clearly needed, Cook argued that the breakneck pace of AI development makes it almost impossible for lawmakers to keep up.

Because the technology is moving so fast, Cook believes it is ultimately incumbent on the companies building these systems to make their own ethical decisions and regulate themselves.

His remarks follow a high-profile statement on AI existential risk signed by OpenAI's Sam Altman, DeepMind's Demis Hassabis, and Anthropic's Dario Amodei. At the same time, critics continue to warn that obsessing over theoretical sci-fi threats distracts from algorithmic harms already impacting people right now.

Why it matters

Cook's comments pull back the curtain on Apple's deliberate AI game plan.

For everyday users, do not expect a wild, freewheeling chatbot pinned to your home screen anytime soon. Apple's strategy is to quietly bake specialized models into everyday friction points like typing and photo sorting. That keeps your phone reliable and private, though it might feel a bit conservative compared to the magic tricks rival platforms are showing off.

Across the industry, Cook's call for corporate self-regulation is a clever way to justify Apple's cautious, privacy-first posture. While rivals rush to bolt generative AI onto every surface and deal with hallucinations in public, Apple is content to wait until the dust settles.

We think this play is smart for protecting Apple's pristine brand reputation, but it carries real risk. If generative interfaces fundamentally change how people interact with computers faster than expected, Apple's wait-and-see stance could quickly make Siri and iOS feel uncomfortably behind.