Apple Disputes Elon Musk’s Claims of App Store Bias Favoring OpenAI Over Rival AI Applications

Apple has refuted Elon Musk’s claims that its App Store shows favoritism towards AI apps competing with OpenAI.

“We promote thousands of apps through charts, algorithmic suggestions, and expertly curated lists based on objective standards,” Apple was quoted by the BBC.

This response follows Musk’s threat of legal action against Apple through xAI, accusing the tech giant of “operating in a manner that prevents any AI company other than OpenAI from reaching the top position in the App Store.”

In the previous year, Apple and OpenAI formed a collaboration to integrate OpenAI’s models and ChatGPT into Apple products like Siri and iOS. Nevertheless, there is no evidence indicating that the App Store prioritizes OpenAI over other AI developers — in fact, AI applications such as Perplexity and DeekSeek have performed well in App Store rankings over the last year.

Historically, Apple may have ignored accusations of manipulation in its charts. Presently, however, the company faces regulatory oversight and new global laws aimed at controlling its role in app distribution. Recently, a U.S. district judge has also criticized Apple in its ongoing litigation with Epic Games for not enacting policy changes as ordered by the court.