Apple's Phil Schiller to Join OpenAI Board as Observer

TapTechNews July 3rd news, Bloomberg reported today that former marketing head Phil Schiller will represent Apple and join the non-profit board of OpenAI as an observer, meaning he can attend OpenAI board meetings but cannot vote or serve as a director.

Schiller's joining the board means Apple can gain a deeper understanding of the inner workings of OpenAI, and by deepening cooperation with OpenAI, it can better integrate ChatGPT in iOS/iPadOS 18 and macOS 15 Sequoia systems to bring personalized AI services to users.

TapTechNews previously reported that the initial cooperation between Apple and OpenAI was a non-cash transaction, and Apple believed that the integration of ChatGPT in iOS 18 would bring 'exposure rate' to OpenAI, which has 'equal or higher value'.

Gurman said that Apple and other companies such as OpenAI will further explore cooperation, and Apple hopes to split the revenue of AI-related businesses with companies such as OpenAI in the future. OpenAI, Google (previously reported that the iPhone will support Gemini), and other companies provide various AI services, and Apple will continue to play the role of a 'platform' and draw commission fees.

Microsoft also sent Dee Templeton to join the OpenAI board as an observer last year, and the simultaneous joining of Apple and Microsoft to the OpenAI board may make it more complicated for OpenAI to make future plans and new functions.

Philip W. Schiller (born June 8, 1960) is an Apple Fellow at Apple. He is a prominent figure in Apple's key launches and has been a member of the company's senior management team since Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997.

In 2020, he became the first person to be appointed an Apple Fellow in more than 20 years, one of the company's highest-level positions, previously held by only a few people, including co-founder Steve Wozniak and others.