Apple has restricted the use of ChatGPT and other external artificial intelligence (AI) tools for certain employees, reported The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources and documents.

The iPhone maker’s decision comes as the company develops its generative AI technology.

Apple is concerned that the employees could release confidential data on AI platforms.

Citing WSJ, Reuters reported that the company has also asked employees to not use Copilot, an AI tool by GitHub used to automate software development.

Notably, both GitHub and OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, are backed by Microsoft.

A request for comment from the news agency was not answered by Apple, OpenAI, and Microsoft.

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Earlier this month, Samsung banned the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT after internal source codes were accidentally uploaded to the platform.

With the decision, Apple has become the latest to join the list of companies wary of AI-powered chatbots and data leaks.

Major US banks such as JP Morgan, Citi and Bank of America have also either banned or restricted the use of ChatGPT.

To address privacy concerns, last month, OpenAI updated ChatGPT to allow users to turn off chat history.

Apple’s move also comes alongside OpenAI’s announcement of the launch of the ChatGPT app for iOS.

“The ChatGPT app is free to use and syncs your history across devices. It also integrates Whisper, our open-source speech-recognition system, enabling voice input,” OpenAI said. 

For Android users, the company plans to launch an app soon.

“Android users, you’re next! ChatGPT will be coming to your devices soon,” it added.