Jony Ive Partners with OpenAI for Innovative AI-Driven Hardware Development

Image source: Gary Cohen, Wikipedia Commons

Former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman are collaborating on an innovative project: the development of AI-powered hardware. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Ive revealed that he is working intimately with Altman and a select team to create a groundbreaking device driven by generative AI.

Details about the upcoming product remain sparse, but Ive has assured that it will not take the form of a smartphone. The device is being designed from scratch to maximally utilize AI capabilities while introducing a completely new form factor. Both Ive and Altman are confident that this strategy can address the shortcomings of earlier AI hardware, such as the Rabbit R1, which struggled to capture the attention of mainstream consumers.

Reportedly, OpenAI’s advanced language model will act as the foundational AI technology for this device. So far, Ive and Altman have brought on around 10 employees and have set an ambitious target to secure $1 billion in venture capital by 2024. They anticipate that AI’s sophisticated functionalities will allow for handling complex user inquiries in ways that redefine user expectations of hardware.

If successful, this venture would signify Ive’s return to product design following his departure from Apple in 2019. During his tenure as Apple’s Chief Design Officer, Ive was instrumental in the development of iconic products, including the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. He departed Apple to concentrate on designing wearables and products focused on health and wellness.

Ive’s design firm, LoveFrom, operates out of a San Francisco office and has a minimal online footprint, with its only known engagement being a multi-year partnership with Airbnb that commenced in 2020.

The obstacles that lie ahead for Ive and Altman are significant. Previous independent efforts to create AI devices have faltered primarily because users tend to favor the versatility of smartphones for AI functionalities. For their hardware to be successful, it must provide transformational and convenient features that exceed what is currently achievable on mobile devices.

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