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It’s official: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple design chief Jony Ive are working together on an AI device, and they’ve brought in investor Laurene Powell Jobs to lead funding.
Why It Hits: While there are plenty of startups trying to make an AI device happen, the difficulty is making any of them feel as necessary as just carrying around a smartphone. A truly necessary AI device could finally put a second device in consumers’ pockets.
Between the Lines: Considering the pedigree of Altman, Ive, and Powell Jobs, AI could soon get its “iPhone moment.”
- The partnership between Altman and Ive has been rumored since September 2023 but was confirmed by Ive in a new NYT profile. Ive’s brand, LoveFrom, is leading design.
- The company hasn’t disclosed what the device could even remotely be or when it would be released, but it’s said to have a touchscreen element.
- The project has raised almost a billion dollars in a funding round led by Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective (Powell Jobs is the widow of Apple’s Steve Jobs).
- The company has 10 employees, including iPhone vets Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, working out of an office in San Francisco.
The Future: Jony Ive is credited with spearheading the look and feel of the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple Watch… you know, devices heralded for their genius simplicity and intuitive design. And of course, Altman is the ruler of OpenAI, which is only amassing more wealth and power. The device would likely be the physical embodiment of ChatGPT, cementing the era of AI.
Go Deeper: Don’t expect the device to be released anytime soon — LoveFrom doesn’t have a reputation for rushing.
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