
Apple Blocks ChatGPT-Powered App
Mar 02, 2023

The iOS App Store is imposing strict restrictions on ChatGPT as Apple has barred an iOS application from incorporating the chatbot technology. The reason behind this action is to prevent the generation of unsuitable content for minors.
BlueMail, an email client, intended to include a ChatGPT-powered characteristic in its iOS app to enable users to automate message composition. Nonetheless, Apple declined the feature during a recent evaluation, as stated by The Wall Street Journal.
The current age restriction for the iOS app of the email provider is four years and above, indicating that the app does not contain any inappropriate content. However, in order to incorporate the ChatGPT-powered feature, Apple recommended that BlueMail increase the age restriction to 17 years and above, which could potentially limit the product's audience.
Apple's concerns about content moderation for AI-powered chatbots are highlighted in the ongoing dispute. Programs such as ChatGPT have the potential to generate high-quality essays, emails, and social media posts on a range of topics with a simple text prompt, which could revolutionize the way users write text. However, experts warn that the same technologies could be prone to errors or abuse for spreading propaganda and extremist ideologies.
In response to Apple's rejection of BlueMail's integration with ChatGPT, BlueMail co-founder Ben Volach has taken to Twitter to claim that the email client is being unfairly targeted. He maintains that BlueMail has content-filtering systems in place and that many other apps that advertise a ChatGPT-like feature on Apple's App Store do not have age restrictions.
While Apple has yet to comment on the matter, the company has indicated that app developers can contest a rejection, and it is currently investigating BlueMail's complaint. Meanwhile, OpenAI has launched a new API for ChatGPT, making it easier for third-party apps to integrate the chatbot. As a result, disputes over ChatGPT integrations on iOS could escalate in the future.
