Jony Ive confirms he’s working on a device for OpenAI – but what could it be?

Back in April, we heard that ChatGPT developer OpenAI was busy working on a hardware device in partnership with ex-Apple design chief Jony Ive – a rumor that has now been confirmed in a new profile of Ive.

The profile appeared in the New York Times (via The Verge), and goes into some of the background of how Ive met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The pair agreed to partner up on a new “artificial intelligence device company” – but for the time being, it’s not clear what form this device could take.

We do know that much of the device development is being done in secret: the device will be “a product that uses AI to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone”, as per the article. However, the exact nature of the gadget and its released date are both “still being determined”.

The article does say that the fledgling AI device company does have office space, and has secured some private funding. In addition, some of the device design team worked with Ive on designing the iPhone (he’s also responsible for many other modern Apple product designs, including the iPad and the MacBook).

Choose your form factor

Based on the information we get here, it looks as though the exact form factor and features of the upcoming OpenAI piece of hardware are all still yet to be determined – though we’ve already seen numerous other AI gadgets hit the market in recent times.

The Rabbit R1 hasn’t really lived up to its initial promise: the phone-like box promises to use your mobile apps for you, to some extent, replacing them with an all-purpose generative AI assistant – but in our Rabbit R1 review we described it as “an adorable but half-baked idea that you can ignore”.

Then there’s the Humane AI Pin, which launched to a lukewarm reception. The idea is similar to the Rabbit R1, in that it uses generative AI to mostly replace your smartphone, but the little wearable gadget has been plagued by problems with battery life and overheating in the short time it’s been on sale.

These devices, and others including the Plaud.AI NotePin and the Friend, are basically just putting a generative AI assistant inside a compact device. OpenAI already has the assistant software sorted – now it just needs to work out the best physical form for it.