With AI, the race to imagine a device as indispensable as the smartphone
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup, Hinting at New AI Device
In 2007, Apple, with the iPhone, discovered the ergonomic formula that its competitors had been seeking for years. Almost twenty years later, the race for the next key device, which some tech leaders dream would be as indispensable as our smartphones, is becoming intriguing. A major architect of the iPhone is entering the arena: the English designer Jony Ive, a major player in Apple’s renaissance alongside Steve Jobs.
On Wednesday, May 21st, OpenAI announced the acquisition of Ive’s startup, io, for a staggering $6.5 billion (approximately €5.7 billion), according to Bloomberg. The creator of the ChatGPT chatbot has integrated the designer into its management team and stated that he is working on an electronic device designed around artificial intelligence (AI).
OpenAI has revealed almost nothing about this project. Nevertheless, according to the Wall Street Journal, the object would be designed to remain attentive to what is happening around it and, unlike many competing devices, it would not be worn on the body but rather carried in a pocket. Developed with the aim of helping consumers break free from screens, it would complement smartphones and computers. Sam Altman is reportedly considering a commercial launch by the end of 2026 and, until then, would impose secrecy on his teams to avoid any plagiarism. An atmosphere to which Jony Ive is accustomed, having led one of the best-guarded and most observed industrial design laboratories in Silicon Valley, at Apple, for about twenty years.
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