Concerns Over Apple and OpenAI’s Exclusive Deal
The America First Legal Foundation is urging Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to look into what they perceive as anti-competitive agreements that have made ChatGPT the sole generative AI chatbot in Apple products, including the iPhone.
Gene Hamilton, president of the America First Legal Foundation, pointed out in a recent letter, “America First Legal Foundation requests that your Committee investigate the proprietary arrangement between Apple Inc. and OpenAI. This setup might be a classic example of monopolistic behavior and, even more concerning, it seems to suppress a variety of political perspectives.” This letter was directed to both Jordan and Grassley, leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.
The correspondence also highlights that AI platforms are becoming essential for Americans seeking information and forming opinions, which raises concerns given OpenAI’s alleged left-leaning bias. Hamilton referenced a growing body of academic research claiming that ChatGPT often reflects a systemic leftward bias, citing a 2025 study indicating that it tends to avoid producing content that aligns with certain mainstream viewpoints due to fears of misinformation and bias. Moreover, the Brookings Institution observed that ChatGPT often yields left-leaning responses on political and social issues, with a significant perception of its left tendencies compared to competitors like Google. Research from the University of Washington suggests that even brief interactions with biased AI can influence users’ political views, highlighting potential risks inherent in such technologies.
Hamilton mentioned, “Apple’s partnership with OpenAI effectively ensures that, from a user-friendly standpoint, the only AI chatbots accessible to most smartphone users will display a consistent left-wing bias.” This arrangement has led to legal actions from companies like X and xAI, who filed a lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI in June 2024, claiming their exclusive agreement constitutes anticompetitive behavior. Given Apple’s substantial market share in smartphones—around 70%—and ChatGPT’s dominance in the AI chatbot arena, these claims raise significant antitrust concerns.
Moreover, experts have noted that default settings on devices can heavily influence public perception. Gail Slater, a former assistant attorney general, emphasized that just as the Justice Department highlighted the impact of default settings in their case against Google, the same principle might apply to generative AI. She remarked, “It’s an interesting consideration since default settings can shape our views on various subjects, from politics to poetry.”
Due to the various implications suggested by Hamilton and the America First Legal Foundation, there’s a call for Congress to investigate Apple’s contract with OpenAI. Hamilton concluded, “Congressional oversight is essential to understand the potential consequences of merging a smartphone monopoly with a generative AI one, particularly when that relationship produces a single ideologically driven chatbot. The Commission is in a unique position to examine these matters and determine if current legal frameworks are adequate to handle them. We urge a thorough investigation.”
