Is OpenAI transforming into a hardware company?

Apple's former chief designer, Jony Ive, is reportedly in talks with OpenAI about developing the “iPhone of artificial intelligence.” This ambitious project could benefit from more than $1 billion in funding from Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son. According to a recent Financial Times report, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants to use Ive's design firm LoveFrom to develop OpenAI's first consumer device. The first brainstorming sessions have already taken place in Ive's San Francisco studio.

Three sources familiar with the plan indicate that Ive and Altman are striving for a device that provides a “more natural and intuitive user experience” for interacting with artificial intelligence. They're inspired by how the original iPhone's touchscreen technology has revolutionized how we interact with the mobile internet. As well as being willing to finance, Son has called for a central role for chip design company Arm, in which he holds a 90% share.

Despite his critical role in creating the first iPhone, Ive has previously expressed concerns about the compulsive behavior that smartphones can cause. In an interview with the Financial Times in 2018, he claimed that tech companies have a “moral responsibility” to limit the addictive nature of their products.

According to sources, the OpenAI project could be an opportunity for Ive to develop an interactive computing device that is less dependent on screens. Altman already has some experience in this area thanks to his investments in Humane, a startup co-founded by former Apple employees, that is developing a wearable AI device without a screen to replace smartphones.

The project by Altman, Ive and Son is still in its early stages and several ideas for the device are still being considered. While no deal has been confirmed yet and details of the project are limited, the talks are said to be “serious.”