Jony Ive Confirms Involvement in AI Hardware Project With OpenAI

Former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive has officially confirmed his involvement in an artificial intelligence hardware project with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The confirmation appeared in a profile of the designer by The New York Times, putting to rest speculation that began nearly a year ago about a potential collaboration between the two figures.

jony ive ipad pro
The AI hardware venture is reportedly being funded by Ive and the Emerson Collective, a company founded by Laurene Powell Jobs. According to the report, the project could secure up to $1 billion in funding by the end of the year, signaling significant investor interest in the endeavor.

Despite its high-profile leadership, the project is still in its early stages, with only 10 employees currently on board. However, the team includes notable former Apple designers Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, both of whom worked closely with Ive on the iPhone. Ive's design firm, LoveFrom, is spearheading the device's design process.

The collaboration between Ive and Altman reportedly stemmed from discussions about the potential for generative AI to enable new types of computing devices. The technology's ability to handle complex requests is seen as a key factor in creating novel user experiences that go beyond traditional software capabilities.

While specific details about the AI product and its release timeline remain under wraps, the team has already established a significant presence in San Francisco, working out of a 32,000-square-foot office building, part of a $90 million real estate acquisition by Ive on a single city block.

The new venture marks Ive's most significant technology project since departing Apple in 2019. After leaving his role as chief design officer, Ive continued to work with Apple as a consultant through LoveFrom until 2022, when the partnership officially concluded.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18

Apple Announces iOS 18.2 Launching Today With These New Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 5:23 am PST by
Apple has announced that iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 will be released today following more than six weeks of beta testing. For the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, the update introduces additional Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji for creating custom emoji, Image Playground and Image Wand for generating images, and ChatGPT integration for Siri. There is also ...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Seeds Second Release Candidate Versions of iOS 18.2 and More With Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT Integration

Monday December 9, 2024 10:06 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 updates to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, a week after releasing the first RCs. The first iOS 18.2 RC had a build number of 22C150, while the second RC's build number is 22C151. Release candidates represent the final version of beta software that's expected to see a ...
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb 3

iPhone SE 4 Said to Feature 48MP Rear Lens, 12MP TrueDepth Camera

Monday December 9, 2024 4:48 am PST by
Apple's forthcoming iPhone SE 4 will feature a single 48-megapixel rear camera and a 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera on the front, according to details revealed in a new Korean supply chain report. ET News reports that Korea-based LG Innotek is the main supplier of the front and rear camera modules for the more budget-friendly ~$400 device, which is expected to launch in the first quarter of...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

MacBook Pros With OLED Displays Won't Have a Notch, Roadmap Shows

Monday December 9, 2024 7:36 am PST by
Apple plans to remove the notch from the MacBook Pro in a few years from now, according to a roadmap shared by research firm Omdia. The roadmap shows that 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models released in 2026 will have a hole-punch camera at the top of the display, instead of a notch. It is unclear if there would simply be a pinhole in the display, or if Apple would expand the iPhone's...
vipps nfc tap to pay iphone

World's First Apple Pay Alternative for iPhone Launches in Norway

Monday December 9, 2024 1:28 am PST by
Norwegian payment service Vipps has become the world's first company to launch a competing tap-to-pay solution to Apple Pay on iPhone, following Apple's agreement with European regulators to open up its NFC technology to third parties. Starting December 9, Vipps users in Norway can make contactless payments in stores using their iPhones. The service initially supports customers of SpareBank...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Friday December 6, 2024 4:42 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls...
Apple Watch Series 10 lineup 240909 feature

Apple Watch Could Get Blood Pressure Monitoring in 2025

Tuesday December 10, 2024 11:51 am PST by
Apple is ramping up work on a blood pressure monitoring feature for the Apple Watch and it could be ready as soon as 2025, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Blood pressure monitoring is a health addition that Apple has been working on for the last several years, and based on rumors, Apple wanted to debut it in 2024. The feature would not provide exact systolic and diastolic blood pressure...
macOS Sequoia Night Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.2 With New Apple Intelligence Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:02 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.2, the second update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that was released in September. macOS Sequoia 15.2 comes over a month after the release of macOS Sequoia 15.1. Mac users can download the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Sequoia 15.2 adds Image Playground, an app that lets you create...

Top Rated Comments

sublunar Avatar
11 weeks ago
Could AI be made thinner? ?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
11 weeks ago
Leaked photo:



Attachment Image
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bustycat Avatar
11 weeks ago
AluminIum
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Mac Daz Avatar
11 weeks ago
Love Jonny, he was a mastermind for Apple
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iDento Avatar
11 weeks ago
Sure it is not something like Rabbit R1 ('https://www.rabbit.tech/') right?

Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ShadowJamie Avatar
11 weeks ago
I hope they come out with something groundbreaking, but I doubt it. If they do, it would undoubtedly put pressure on Apple to step up their game with the iPhone and iOS.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)