Introduction
OpenAI has introduced a new plugin that enables ChatGPT to work directly with the Apple Messages app on Mac. The plugin can search iMessage, SMS, and RCS messages, analyze and summarize conversations, draft replies, and send messages with user approval. It can also share suitable meeting times, identify topics that need follow-up, add birthdays mentioned in messages to the calendar, and detect potential spam messages.
Developments
The integration, which can be installed from the Public section of the Plugins interface, requires ChatGPT to be granted Full Disk Access and permission to access contact names and automation tools through macOS System Settings. MacRumors says the system uses AppleScript and macOS Accessibility features. It is not known whether Apple was involved in the development process.
Details
Available on Macs with Apple Silicon processors, the feature works through ChatGPT Work and Codex in the desktop app; it cannot be used in standard ChatGPT chats. According to Bloomberg, allowing private messages to be processed by OpenAI raises privacy concerns. Unlike the Apple Intelligence integration, the new plugin makes use of ChatGPT’s system permissions on Mac.