Speaking at the third Global AI Summit in Riyadh, a top executive from Apple stated that the company is still dedicated to safeguarding the information and privacy of its consumers.
“Apple’s privacy pledges are integrated into our products and features by design because at Apple, we think that privacy is a human right,” stated Gary Davis, global senior director of privacy and regulatory matters.
“For this reason, Apple has long backed the enactment of data privacy legislation around the world. And for that reason, we back the implementation of a personal data protection law in Saudi Arabia,” he added.
According to Davis, the company will continue to use the same strategy even when it incorporates AI into its products.
He claimed that Apple “takes a similar approach to developing technologies, including AI.”
“We will remain steadfast in our dedication to protecting user privacy even when we fully incorporate Apple Intelligence into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS,” Davis noted.
According to Davis, using AI responsibly means upholding human values.
He said, “It’s not only a possibility, it’s a responsibility. Our guiding principle is that high privacy requirements and excellent artificial intelligence are complementary, not antagonistic.”
He went on to clarify that Apple bases its business decisions on four fundamental principles: consumers will always have the last word when it comes to data collection; device owners have the right to access their data; and privacy cannot exist without security.
“The company’s browser, Safari, cloud storage, and Apple Intelligence are just a few of the many innovative technologies that have been again and again, created from the ground up to preserve user privacy,” he added.
He said, “Safari has implemented numerous new features to continue to ensure that, when you use it, you stay totally in control of your data and bans third-party cookies by default.”
“Your experiences on all of your devices are the foundation of Apple Intelligence. This applies to all of your files, calendar events, communications, and images. For it to give you information and support that is specific to your needs and nothing else. Users have no means of knowing whether companies that claim they won’t misuse people’s data are being sincere,” Davis remarked.
“Our guiding concept is that, even when your data is moving from your device to the cloud, nobody, not even Apple, maybe even more so than Apple, should be able to see what you request. We removed the tools often used to administer servers, we eliminated persistent data storage, and we took precautions to prohibit privileged access in order to mitigate entire classes of privacy risk,” he declared, while concluding, “The end product is an unparalleled Apple Silicon-based cloud security foundation. Apple never has access to user data when using private cloud computing. Never is it stored.”