Former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive is reportedly working on a generative artificial intelligence (AI) device. According to a report, Ive is collaborating with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to create this new device, which is rumored to be inspired by the original iPhone. Notably, Ive was behind the design language of the first iPhone, which was launched in 2007. The design aesthetics of the new AI device were said to be handled by Ive’s company LoveFrom.
Former Apple executive reportedly built AI device
With the rise of Generative AI, many new devices have been launched in the market. From Humane’s AI Pin to the Rabbit R1, new devices claiming to be the future of smartphones have arrived and failed to make a mark. However, with a collaboration between the person responsible for the original iPhone and the person who started the entire Generative AI trend, things may be different.
The New York Times reports that Ive was introduced to Altman through Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, who was one of the early clients of the former Apple design chief’s LoveFrom venture. Details about the project are not known at this time.
According to the report, the current team for this project is very small with around ten employees. But the short list includes stalwarts like Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, both of whom exited Apple last year. Notably, both Tan and Hankey were involved in developing the iPhone and other Apple devices.
For now, what is known is that the team is building an AI device that provides a less socially disruptive experience than a modern iPhone, according to the NYT. Interestingly, the same pitch was used for the AI pin and Rabbit R1.
While the technology is being handled by the new team, Ive’s LoveFrom will handle the design language of the device. The team is also said to have set up a massive 32,000-square-foot office space worth $90 million (approximately Rs 751.5 crore) in San Francisco.
A portion of the funding for the project is reportedly coming from Laurene Powell Jobs’ capital investment firm Emerson Collective, and the remainder is said to be provided by Ive herself. There is no information about when the product will hit the market.
