OpenAI has introduced a new Apple Messages plug-in for ChatGPT, giving users the ability to connect their Messages inbox to the AI chatbot and perform a range of tasks directly through ChatGPT. The new feature could make everyday messaging more convenient, but it is also likely to spark fresh conversations about privacy and how much control users should give artificial intelligence.
With the ChatGPT Apple Messages plug-in, users can ask the chatbot to sort, analyze and edit their conversations. The tool can also work with Codex and ChatGPT Work, extending its usefulness beyond personal conversations to professional tasks. Instead of scrolling through lengthy message histories, users can rely on ChatGPT to help locate specific information and organize conversations.
The plug-in goes further by allowing ChatGPT to draft and send messages on a user’s behalf. Users can also ask the AI to suggest follow-up messages based on previous conversations or even delete messages. OpenAI recently promoted the feature in a commercial showing how ChatGPT could review messages received the previous day and recommend responses to contacts.
However, the ability to give an AI access to private conversations has immediately raised privacy concerns. OpenAI told Bloomberg that the plug-in operates locally on a user’s machine and does not create an index containing all of their messages. Despite that explanation, questions remain about exactly how the system handles message data, prompting further interest in the company’s privacy safeguards.
OpenAI is also urging users to remain cautious when allowing ChatGPT to send messages automatically. The company warns against enabling persistent approval because it removes the user’s final opportunity to review a message before it is sent in their name. As AI tools become increasingly capable of acting on behalf of users, the new Apple Messages integration highlights both the convenience and responsibility that come with handing everyday digital communication over to artificial intelligence.
source: techcrunch
