He’s taken Apple’s hardware design to new heights — can Jony Ive do the same for the emerging artificial intelligence hardware market?
That’s the hope for Ive’s next project, in which the veteran designer will team up with ChatGPT developer OpenAI to develop a new hardware device that leverages the company’s rapidly growing artificial intelligence offerings.
The partnership, which was rumored earlier this year, has now been confirmed in a statement Introduction to the New York Times It explores Ive’s independence after Apple, including discussions with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
The article stated that the two have agreed to cooperate to establish a new “artificial intelligence device company” whose products “use artificial intelligence to create a more socially disruptive computing experience than the iPhone.” It’s not that Apple itself is opposed to AI integration — the latest iOS 18 The version will be updated to include built-in access to ChatGPT and OpenAI technologies.
But iPhones, including brand new iPhones iphone 16 and iPhone 16 Prostill treating artificial intelligence as a feature rather than a product itself, will be the differentiating factor of this new device. OpenAI will be central. What form of industrial design it will take is “still being determined,” but Ive’s team has an exemplary pedigree — some of his new team have worked with him on iPhone design for years.
Is a device revolution coming?
Ivey’s project is not the first to attempt custom, purpose-built artificial intelligence hardware design. But early forays into the market have been mixed at best.
Released earlier this year, the Rabbit R1 mesmerized with its cute phone design. But its practical use—replacing traditional apps with generative AI responses—proved clumsy. Likewise, the Humane AI pin was launched with a lot of hype, but quickly pushed beyond the limitations of its wearable form factor.
But if anyone can create the form factor of a truly effective artificial intelligence device, it’s Ive. His meticulous attention to detail had a huge impact on the technology world, revolutionizing the design of computing devices. If his focus is in doubt, here’s the second excerpt from the article: He just spent five years writing a book about The history of buttons.
Jony Ive says it took him 5 years to write a book about buttons pic.twitter.com/PqWhQ8KYLRSeptember 23, 2024