Two years ago, Sam and Jony started talking about what the future of AI and new kinds of computers was going to look like. Sam was running OpenAI, Jony (Apple iPhone designer) was running a design firm called LoveFrom that had established itself as the densest collection of talent in one place.
It was apparent to both of them that they needed a third company.
Experts made up of hardware and software engineers, physicists, researchers, product manufacturing experts.
“I am thrilled to be partnering with Jony, in my opinion the greatest designer in the world.”
Hardware that feels native to how we’ll live with AI
OpenAI has acquired Jonny Ives for $6+ billion to design hardware that will incorporate AI. Not another smartphone. Not another chatbot. Something different—hardware that feels native to how we’ll live with AI.
The goal is to move beyond screens and notifications. Think ambient computing: devices that quietly understand the world around you and help you navigate it, without demanding your attention.
Sam and Jony recently chatted in a café in San Francisco
Sam: Jony recently gave me one of the prototypes to take home and I think it is the coolest piece of technology that the world will ever see.
It’s clear to see their mutual admiration for each other in this video conversation – awestruck I’d say.
Jony: the products that we’re using to connect us to unimaginable tech are decades old. So it’s just common sense to at least think ‘surely there is something beyond these legacy products’.
Sam: we have magic intelligence in the cloud. If I wanted to ask ChatGPT something right now, about something we’d talked about earlier I’d have to:
- Reach down and open up my laptop
- Launch a web browser
- I’d start to type in and have to explain that thing
- Hit enter and wait to get a response
Grok writes that specifics are scarce, that the device is not a phone or wearable like a watch or glasses but could be a compact, unobtrusive device, possibly akin to an iPod Shuffle, that sits on a desk or fits in a pocket. It’s intended to integrate deeply with ChatGPT and be contextually aware of a user’s surroundings.
Jony: Sam is a rare visionary. He shoulders incredible responsibility, but his curiosity, his humility remains utterly inspiring.
Sam: Jony is the deepest thinker of anyone I’ve ever met. What that leads him to come up with is unmatched. We are sitting at the beginning of what I believe could be the biggest technological revolution of our lifetimes.
A shot at making AI feel human
This deal brings in top-tier design talent and a shot at making AI feel human, not just digital.
Generative AI says that Altman wants to build an AI that knows everything about us, “a compact reasoning engine that never forgets.” Every book we’ve read, every email we’ve skimmed, every company document we’ve ever opened, every conversation we’ve had. All of it alive in one trillion-token context window.
The screenless device is to launch some time in 2027; maybe good news for those of us with a phone addiction.