OpenAI has accused a former employee who joined Apple of sending more than 100 confidential files about an unreleased product to a personal account. The employee later presented the product to senior Apple leadership, according to a new court filing by OpenAI. The company said Apple can use its confidential research and ideas to develop its own products. The allegations were made in an ongoing legal dispute between the two technology companies. Apple has denied finding evidence to support OpenAI’s claims.
In its filing, OpenAI said the presentation took place several months ago. It also pointed to Apple’s launch of its HomeView product this week as a sign that the iPhone maker is developing its own AI products.
“OpenAI is very concerned that its trade secret and confidential information is now circulating inside Apple, where Apple engineers can shape Apple’s upcoming products based on OpenAI’s confidential and innovative work,” OpenAI said in the filing, according to a report by Reuters.
Apple said it has rules to prevent new employees from using confidential information belonging to their previous employers. The company added that its investigation had found no evidence supporting OpenAI’s allegations.
In a letter dated October 12, Apple’s lawyers said that the two personal phone numbers identified by OpenAI as recipients of the files did not match the numbers the employee used for work at Apple. They argued that this suggested Apple did not have possession, custody or control of the data sent to those numbers while the employee worked at OpenAI.
Apple also said it had found no OpenAI files on its servers after checking the digital repositories linked to the employee’s work. The company said it had not known about the alleged presentation and asked OpenAI to provide more details.
According to Apple, OpenAI did not respond to its request and instead went to court. Apple said it would continue working with OpenAI to investigate the matter.
Earlier this week, US District Court Judge Edward Davila allowed Apple to access certain digital files from OpenAI as part of its own lawsuit. He also allowed Apple to collect data from some former employees’ devices and question three of them.
The latest filing, submitted on Tuesday, is part of a wider legal battle that began earlier this year. Apple had accused some of its former employees of taking confidential information when they left the company to join OpenAI’s hardware division. OpenAI has denied those claims.