Confirmed: Jony Ive Working on AI Hardware Product with OpenAI’s Sam Altman

Highlights

• Jony Ive, former Apple Design Head, confirmed his partnership with OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman.
• Working to develop an AI hardware product.
• Both of Ive’s senior reports from Apple have joined the project.

Former Apple Design Head Jony Ive has confirmed the rumours about his partnership with OpenAI. As previously claimed in multiple reports, Ive is working on an AI hardware product in partnership with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Ive has confirmed the reports formally for the first time during a recent interview with The New York Times.

The NYT reports further confirm not just one but both of Ive’s senior reports from Apple have also joined him to work on the project in collaboration with OpenAI.

“Mr. Altman and Mr. Ive talked about how generative A.I. made it possible to create a new computing device because the technology could do more for users than traditional software since it could summarize and prioritize messages, identify and name objects like plants and eventually field complex requests like booking travel.

Mr Ive and Mr Altman met for dinner several more times before agreeing to build a product, with LoveFrom leading the design. They have raised money privately, with Mr. Ive and Emerson Collective, Ms. Powell Jobs’s company, contributing, and could raise up to $1 billion in start-up funding by the end of the year from tech investors […]

He has hired about 10 employees, including Tang Tan, who oversaw iPhone product development, and Evans Hankey, who succeeded Mr. Ive in leading design at Apple.” – NYT report confirms.

While we still have no idea what the actual project is, rumours around a possible hardware development have been doing rounds since 2023.

Last year, a report in The Information hinted a the partnership.

“Ive has been in talks with Altman about building a new AI device. It’s unclear at this point what the purpose of this device will be or what it will look like, but sources familiar with the conversations say that they want to create a “new hardware for the age of AI,” as reported by 9to5Mac.

Following this, 9to5Mac later reported that, “Apple’s head of iPhone and Apple Watch product design is departing the company, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Tang Tan, who currently holds the title of VP of product design at Apple, will leave the company in February.”

“As reported by Bloomberg, Tan will work with Jony Ive at LoveFrom, alongside OpenAI’s Sam Altman, to “work on a new artificial intelligence hardware project.”

“The report says the pair are in investment discussions with the VC and advocacy company founded by Laurene Powell Jobs. The startup has discussed deals with Emerson Collective […] according to a person involved in the process and another person with knowledge of the talks. Ive wants to raise up to $1 billion in funding, said a second person who has been involved in the process.”

Ive also shared that he has bought a good deal of real estate in San Francisco and plans to open a LoveFrom store to sell everything from notebooks to clothing.

“The firm’s studio will fill two buildings between the courtyard and street. Because of a zoning requirement, one of the buildings will have a LoveFrom store where the firm will sell products like its custom notebooks and Moncler jackets,” Ive reportedly told NYT.

FAQs

Q1. What is Jony Ive’s new project with OpenAI about?

Answer. Jony Ive, former Apple Design Head, has partnered with OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman to develop a new AI hardware product. The project aims to create a computing device that leverages generative AI to summarize messages, identify objects, and handle complex requests.

Q2. Who are the key team members of John Ive-OpenAI team?

Answer. Ive has hired about 10 employees, including Tang Tan, who oversaw iPhone product development, and Evans Hankey, who succeeded Ive in leading design at Apple.

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