Apple filed a lawsuit against an artificial intelligence company OpenAI, claiming the latter misappropriated trade secrets and sensitive information to help expand its hardware business, Repute Today reported.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges the theft of its valuable information was part of a “coordinated pattern of misconduct” by former Apple employees who have since joined OpenAI. The case also lists former Apple executives Tang Tan and Chang Liu as defendants.
Apple said that OpenAI unfairly utilised its intellectual property and confidential data, saying that prospective Apple employees considering a move to the startup were encouraged to give trade secrets and other information during the recruitment process. The company also claims that candidates were asked to bring information or documents pertaining to unreleased Apple goods and technologies during interviews.
OpenAI has refuted the claims.
An OpenAI spokeswoman said the company is not interested in trade secrets from other companies and continues to focus on its own creative technology.