Jony Ive is said to be working with OpenAI.
Former Apple design chief Jony Ive is reportedly in talks with OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman to create AI-powered hardware, as per a new report.
Apple’s former Chief Product Design Officer, Jony Ive, is reportedly in talks to develop hardware in partnership with OpenAI—the creator of ChatGPT, as per a report by The Information.
According to the report, two people familiar with the matter have stated that Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Jony Ive have been in talks to create an AI-powered hardware device. However—at this point in time—it is unclear what the said device could be for. Sources suggest it might be designed for “the age of AI.”
For those who are not familiar, Jony Ive worked with Apple as its Chief Design Officer for approximately 20 years, contributing to various projects from 1997 to 2019. Ive reportedly played a significant role in the development of iconic Apple products such as the Apple iPod, iPhone, and even the iPad. After leaving Apple, Ive opened his own design company called LoveFrom. Apple and Ive are said to be no longer collaborating—even in a consulting capacity.
The report further adds that this initiative has already attracted high-profile investors, including SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and Microsoft, which is already backing OpenAI for its generative AI endeavors. It remains to be seen what Ive and Altman are working on—but as a company—OpenAI appears to be doubling down on its commitment to AI.
Earlier this week, OpenAI introduced new capabilities to its ChatGPT chatbot, which include talking and responding to your prompts. ChatGPT’s voice and image features will be available to Plus and enterprise users in a few weeks. Additionally, enabling the Voice feature on iOS and Android requires manual phone settings, while images will work on all platforms.
