Former Apple VP of Industrial Design, Jony Ive, is reportedly collaborating with OpenAI to develop a revolutionary “iPhone of artificial intelligence.” The project has received $1 billion in funding from Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, indicating its significance and potential impact. While still in the early planning stages, the concept aims to provide users with a more natural and intuitive way of interacting with AI, going beyond the capabilities of current devices like laptops and iPhones. The ultimate goal is to create a hardware solution that reduces reliance on screens and offers a novel approach to computing.
This hardware venture would mark an important milestone for Ive since his departure from Apple in 2019, where he played a crucial role in designing iconic devices such as the iMac, iPhone, and iPad. Ive has been involved in various projects since leaving Apple, including the design of Apple Watch watch faces. However, collaborating with OpenAI on AI-infused hardware is expected to be his most significant undertaking in recent years. The aim of the partnership is to explore new possibilities in AI interaction, potentially revolutionizing the way users engage with and utilize AI technology.
While specifics of the project remain undisclosed, the Financial Times suggests that the long-term objective is to develop a screenless method of computer interaction. In reference to Humana’s screenless wearable AI device, experts speculate that Ive’s project with OpenAI might aim to create a similar technology. With Ive’s expertise in design and OpenAI’s advancements in AI technology, this collaboration has the potential to redefine how users interact with AI, paving the way for a new era of intuitive, screenless computing.
