Back in April, we heard that ChatGPT developer OpenAI was busy working on a hardware device in collaboration with former Apple design chief Jony Ive – a rumor that has now been confirmed in a new profile of Ive.
The profile appeared in the New York Times (via The Edge), and goes into the background of how I met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The pair agreed to collaborate on a new “artificial intelligence device company” – but for now, it’s unclear what form that device might take.
We do know that much of the device’s development is being done in secret: the device will be “a product that uses AI to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone,” the article states. The exact nature of the gadget and its release date, however, are “still being determined.”
The article does say that the young AI device company does have office space and has secured some private financing. Additionally, some of the device design team worked with Ive on the iPhone (he’s also responsible for many other modern Apple product designs, including the iPad and MacBook).
Choose your form factor
Based on the information we’re getting here, it seems that the exact form factor and features of the upcoming OpenAI hardware have yet to be determined. However, we’ve already seen a ton of other AI gadgets hit the market lately.
The Rabbit R1 didn’t quite deliver on its initial promise: the phone-like device promised to do your mobile apps for you, up to a point, replacing them with an all-round generative AI assistant. In our Rabbit R1 review , however, we described it as “a cute but half-baked idea that you can ignore.”
Then there’s the Humane AI Pin, which launched to a lukewarm reception. It’s similar in idea to the Rabbit R1 in that it uses generative AI to largely replace your smartphone, but the little wearable has suffered from battery life and overheating issues in its short time on sale.
These devices, and others including the Plaud.AI NotePin and the Friend, essentially just put a generative AI assistant in a compact device. OpenAI has already sorted out the assistant software – now it just needs to find the best physical form for it.