Former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman are teaming up on an ambitious new project - creating AI-powered hardware. In an interview with The New York Times, Ive confirmed he is working closely with Altman and a small team to build a new type of device powered by generative AI.
Little is known about the product itself, but Ive said it will not resemble a smartphone. The device is reportedly being designed from the ground up to leverage AI capabilities while focusing on an entirely new form factor. Ive and Altman believe this approach could overcome issues that plagued previous AI hardware like Rabbit R1, which failed to attract mainstream users.
According to the report, OpenAI"s language model will serve as the AI backbone. Ive and Altman have reportedly recruited about 10 employees so far and aim to raise $1 billion in venture capital by 2024. They believe AI"s advanced capabilities lend themselves to handling complex user requests in ways that change expectations of what hardware can do.
If successful, it would mark Ive"s return to product design after leaving Apple in 2019. As Apple"s Chief Design Officer for decades, Ive was the creative force behind iconic products like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. He left Apple as he wanted "to focus his attention on designing wearables and health and wellness products."
LoveFrom operates out of Ive"s San Francisco office with little online presence beyond a single trademark filing. Its only known client so far is Airbnb, which signed a multi-year partnership with LoveFrom in 2020.
The challenges facing Ive and Altman are immense. Past efforts at standalone AI devices failed because people prefer using versatile smartphones for any AI functions. To succeed, their hardware will need to offer transformative, convenient capabilities beyond what"s possible on mobile.