Jony Ive, credited with designing Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) candy-colored iMacs and iPhones, said he has 15 to 20 ideas for OpenAI’s family of devices, as the Silicon Valley race to build AI consumer hardware intensifies.
Devices Should Make Us Happy, And Less Anxious
"I don't think we have an easy relationship with our technology at the moment," Ive told OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at the ChatGPT maker’s developer conference in San Francisco on Monday.
The devices should "make us happy, and fulfilled, and more peaceful, and less anxious, and less disconnected," he said, according to a report from Wired.
OpenAI acquired the former Apple design chief's company, io, for $6.5 billion in May, sparking chatter about what AI gadgets the designer is working on.
See also: Figma Stock Spikes After Hours Following OpenAI Integration Demo By Sam Altman: What You Should Know
Ive said his team has generated “15 to 20 really compelling product ideas,” but that the challenge was to focus on the right kind of hardware.
“It would be easy if you knew there are three good ones. It’s just not like that. We’re designing a family of products. And we’re trying to make sure we’re judicious and thoughtful in what we focus on and to then not be distracted,” he added.
Technical Hurdles Loom, Launch Could Be Delayed
Although Altman and Ive have shared only a few details on the projects they are building, some critical obstacles remain in the device's software and the infrastructure needed to power it, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
These include deciding on the assistant's "personality", privacy issues, and budgeting for the computing power needed to run OpenAI's models on a mass consumer device.
This could delay the potential launch of the device to late 2026, the report said.
OpenAI is not the only Silicon Valley giant trying to figure out the best way to package its AI software into consumer devices. Meta reported that it has sold roughly two million pairs of its AI smart glasses since 2023. There are also a plethora of other products, including Friend, an AI companion worn as a pendant around your neck.
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