Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has reaffirmed his vision of creating an AI-first device in collaboration with Jony Ive, the legendary designer behind some of Apple's most iconic products, such as the 1998 iMac, the iPhone, and the Apple Park campus. This update comes after Altman's comments during his visit to Japan to meet with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. According to Nikkei Asia, Altman expressed his hope to develop AI hardware in partnership with Ive, signaling a significant step toward creating a new type of AI-powered device.
This endeavor follows up on reports from December 2023 that gained attention, revealing that Jony Ive, through his design company LoveFrom, was working on an AI-first device backed by OpenAI. This collaboration stirred considerable interest, especially after rumors surfaced that several Apple executives, including Tang Tan, who headed the iPhone and Apple Watch design teams, were joining LoveFrom to work on the project.
The excitement surrounding this development is understandable, as the combination of Ive's unparalleled design expertise, Tan's focus on device functionality, and Altman's leadership in AI presents the potential for a revolutionary product. With Ive's track record, including designing the iPhone—a device that transformed the mobile phone industry in 2007—and Tan's influence on hardware design, it seems likely that the AI device in question will be a carefully crafted product blending cutting-edge AI with elegant design.
Currently, details about the nature of this device remain unclear, with reports varying between an AI smartphone, AI device, or general AI hardware. However, it is believed that this device could take inspiration from concepts like the Humane AI pin or Rabbit R1. This suggests that the AI hardware may not resemble a traditional smartphone. Instead, it could represent the evolution of personal assistants—moving beyond the idea of a phone with a built-in assistant to a device where the personal assistant itself serves as the primary interface, with communication being just one of its many features.
One thing is clear: this AI-first device will likely center around voice interaction. With Sam Altman's focus on advanced voice technology in ChatGPT and his significant investment in the Humane AI pin, it's highly probable that voice will be the primary method of communication with this future device, marking the next step in the way we interact with AI systems.
