OpenAI Collaborates with Jony Ive on New AI Hardware

Last year, we saw a slew of generative AI devices that were supposed to be the “next big thing.” The Humane Ai Pin and the Rabbit R1 are two notable examples. But both failed miserably for a myriad of reasons, the most important being that people apparently don’t want dedicated AI hardware—they just want to use their smartphones.

Still, we learned today that Jony Ive — the man most directly responsible for the designs of the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and other Apple products under Steve Jobs — is working with OpenAI’s Sam Altman on some new AI-powered hardware. That was revealed in a profile of Ive in New York Times.

We’ve previously heard rumors that Ive and OpenAI were working on AI hardware that doesn’t look like a phone. It’s assumed that ChatGPT will power that device, given its ties to OpenAI. But that’s all we’ve heard until today’s confirmation of the partnership.

According to the report, the project already has 10 employees working on it, and Ive is looking to raise venture capital to back a new company that will create the product. Given Ive and Altman’s pedigrees, the company is expected to raise $1 billion by the end of 2024.

Sure, Ive is a tech legend, and Altman is well on his way to being talked about in the same way as Jobs, Gates, and other tech titans. But you can’t help but feel like it’ll take lightning in a bottle to get people off their smartphones and onto AI-powered hardware instead. Because if hardware doesn’t replace the smartphone, people will just keep using the smartphone.

Humane couldn’t do it, Rabbit couldn’t do it, so time will tell if Ive and Altman can do it.