In a collaboration that screams Silicon Valley elite, two tech heavyweights are joining forces to build an unspecified artificial intelligence hardware device.
Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief design guru, has been meeting with OpenAI CEO and friend Sam Altman to envision “what new hardware for the AI age could look like,” according to a scoop by The Information.
While details remain scarce, this odd couple is exploring opportunities to partner on the mysterious project.
For Altman, working with former Apple designers is familiar territory. He previously tapped Thomas Meyerhoffer, who was Ive’s first hire at Apple, to create the orb-shaped retina scanner for his cryptocurrency startup Worldcoin.
The OpenAI chief is also a top investor in Humane, a hardware startup run by ex-Apple execs building a wearable device to replace smartphones. Humane is integrating OpenAI’s AI into the gadget.
And Altman isn’t the only boldface name potentially getting in on the action. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who has funneled over $140 billion into AI companies, is said to be involved in talks. But it’s unclear if the once-richest man in the world will remain part of the project.
For Ive, who left Apple in 2019 after leading its iconic product designs for decades, this marks a rare foray back into the hardware world. And for Altman, it’s the latest move to spread OpenAI’s powerful AI across new devices.
Whether their mystery brainchild sees the light of day or not, this collaboration shows Silicon Valley elites are still dreaming big on AI hardware. Stay tuned for if and when this secret device materializes.