Apple has filed a federal lawsuit accusing OpenAI of engaging in a pattern of theft of its confidential product development information, alleging that former employees emailed themselves proprietary data to aid the artificial intelligence company.
The lawsuit, filed Friday, names OpenAI, two of its employees, and io Products as defendants. Apple claims that at least two long-time Apple employees who left to join OpenAI participated in this alleged theft by taking internal Apple information with them.
OpenAI has denied the allegations. Drew Pusateri, a spokesperson for OpenAI, told the BBC, "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets."
Apple's suit contends that OpenAI's emerging hardware business is "rotten to its core" due to these alleged actions.