San Francisco, October 6: OpenAI and Apple’s legendary designer Jony Ive have been working on a new AI device that is shrouded in secrecy. The duo partnered to take artificial intelligence one step further by working on personal technology for users. Reports, however, suggest that tasks earlier thought to be easy have been tough for both parties. Both have reportedly been developing a small-sized device to make AI interactions easier.
FT reported that OpenAI and Jony Ive have been facing several technical issues ahead of its release next year. In May, ChatGPT-developer OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s startup io in a USD 6.4 billion all-equity deal. Following this acquisition, they started working on the AI-powered device, details of which are yet to be announced or hinted at.
OpenAI and Jony Ive Partnership, Possibility and AI Device
According to the report published by the Financial Times, the upcoming device could be a palm-sized device without a display. However, it could interact with users by taking audio and visual cues from the surroundings. Whether it will be a wearable or not is yet to be identified. The device will be able to answer questions asked by users.
The report mentioned that amid facing technical difficulties, OpenAI and Apple’s former designer Jony Ive could reconsider launching the AI device in 2026, leading to a delay. Although history itself shows that Jony Ive helped make Apple one of the most valued companies in the world, development related to the device, including infrastructure to power it and software to run it, poses challenges.
The duo has been considering the personality of the device, privacy features, and the budget required for the computing power needed to run OpenAI’s models on such a device. FT cited a person close to Ive who said, “Compute is another huge factor for the delay.” The person added that Amazon and Google have computing resources for Alexa and other home devices, whereas OpenAI has been struggling to secure enough compute for the upcoming AI device.
