Former Apple Design Head Jony Ive Reportedly Working With OpenAI to Build a New AI Device

Ex-Apple design head Jony Ive is reportedly working with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for the secret AI project.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 23 September 2024 13:28 IST

Former Apple Design Head Jony Ive Reportedly Working With OpenAI to Build a New AI Device

Photo Credit: Apple

Jony Ive left Apple to start his own venture in 2019

Highlights

Jony Ive’s current team is said to have just ten employees
The design of the AI product is reportedly being made by LoveFrom
The device is said to be inspired by the original iPhone

Jony Ive, the former Chief Design Officer at Apple, is reportedly working on a generative artificial intelligence (AI) device. As per a report, Ive is collaborating with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to build this new device which is rumoured to be inspired by the original iPhone. Notably, Ive was behind the design language of the first iPhone, which was launched in 2007. The design aesthetics of the new AI device are said to be handled by Ive's company LoveFrom.

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With the rise of generative AI, multiple new devices have been launched in the market. From Humane's AI Pin to the Rabbit R1, new devices that claim to be the future of smartphones, have arrived and failed to make a mark. However, with the collaboration between the person responsible for the original iPhone and the person who kickstarted the entire generative AI trend, things might be different.

The New York Times reports that Ive was introduced to Altman through Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, who was also one of the early clients of the former Apple design head's LoveFrom venture. Details about the project are currently not known.

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According to the report, the current team for this project is very small with about ten employees. But the small list includes veterans such as Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, both of whom took an exit from Apple last year. Notably, both Tan and Hankey were involved in developing the iPhone and other Apple devices.

For now, all that is known is that the team is building an AI device that offers a less socially disruptive experience than the modern iPhone, as per the NYT. Interestingly, the same pitch was used for the AI Pin and Rabbit R1.

While the technology is being handled by the new team, Ive's LoveFrom will handle the device's design language. The team is also said to have set up a massive 32,000-square-foot office space in San Francisco worth $90 million (roughly Rs. 751.5 crore).

A part of the funding for the project is reportedly coming from Laurene Powell Jobs's capital investment firm Emerson Collective, and the rest is said to be provided for by Ive himself. There is no word on when the product might hit the market.

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Further reading: Apple, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Jony Ive, iPhone, OpenAI, Sam Altman

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More