OpenAI has been in the spotlight since it launched ChatGPT and Dall-E, its generative artificial intelligence projects. The company, however, can enter another sector: hardware. CEO Sam Altman is reportedly in talks with Jony Ive, Apple’s former head of product design, for the design of a new device.
The Information, which revealed the talks, says billionaire Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of investment firm SoftBank, is also involved in the initiative. Son has invested $140 billion in artificial intelligence startups in recent years.
The project would only be in the early stages. Unfortunately, there are no details on what this device would be.
Jony Ive designed iPhone, MacBook and more
Jony Ive worked at Apple between 1992 and 2019. He was promoted to senior vice president of industrial design in the late ’90s, when Steve Jobs returned to the company, and took over as chief design officer in 2015.
Ive played an important role in the designs of many of Apple’s flagship products, such as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Apple Watch. He also contributed to the design of iOS, Apple Park, and Apple Stores.
The designer left Apple in 2019, reportedly over disagreements with Tim Cook, who succeeded Steve Jobs as CEO. After leaving, Ive created LoveForm, a design company that had Apple itself as a client until 2022. It also serves Airbnb and Ferrari.
Sam Altman has been working with other former Apple
The first hardware project would be OpenAI’s first, but not the first from Sam Altman, the company’s CEO and co-founder. The Worldcoin project, also envisioned by Altman, includes the Orb, a sphere used for iris scanning.
Biometric data serves as “proof of humanity” and is used to distribute cryptocurrencies. As you can imagine, the Worldcoin initiative is the target of a lot of criticism.
The Orb was designed by Thomas Meyerhoffer. He is, in a way, connected to Jony Ive. Meyerhoffer was Ive’s first hire at Apple. They worked together on projects like the iMac.
Sam Altman is also one of the biggest investors in Humane, a startup that counts former Apple employees among its co-founders. Humane is developing an artificial intelligence wearable device to replace smartphones.
