Apple’s Jony Ive, who has left significant marks on the design world for years, is returning to the technology scene with a new artificial intelligence hardware project. In this project, he is collaborating with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The duo’s joint work is eagerly awaited in the technology world and brings with it great expectations regarding artificial intelligence. This collaboration, which was first mentioned last year, was officially confirmed in an article in The New York Times. Although there is limited information about the project for now, there are signs that the device that Ive and Altman will present will offer technological innovations.
Among the limited details known about the project, it is stated that Jony Ive got involved in this initiative through Brian Chesky. Chesky is the CEO of Airbnb and the name that introduced Ive to Altman. In addition, one of the companies that provided financial support to the project is Emerson Collective, owned by Laurene Powell Jobs. While a goal of raising $1 billion by the end of 2023 is mentioned, the claims that SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son invested in the project are not confirmed at this stage.
Project continues in San Francisco
Although the project team is currently small, the design team led by Jony Ive includes notable names. This team includes names such as Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, who played an important role in the development of the iPhone. The design process of the project is being carried out by Jony Ive’s company LoveFrom. As of now, the team is working in a 32,000-square-meter office building in San Francisco that Ive purchased. According to allegations, Ive has made a real estate investment of $90 million with this building.
The technical details about the artificial intelligence hardware developed by Jony Ive and Sam Altman are not yet clear. According to the information in The New York Times, the project is based on the idea that generative artificial intelligence will provide users with solutions that can fulfill more advanced and complex demands. One of the key points of the project is that the technology will go beyond traditional software and provide users with more opportunities. Some speculations about the project last year suggested that the device would be inspired by touchscreen technology and the original iPhone. However, no definite device design or hardware components have been announced yet.
One of the biggest uncertainties about the project is when the product will be released. Marc Newson, one of LoveFrom’s partners, says that neither the product’s features nor its release date have been determined at the moment. These uncertainties reveal that in an environment where technological innovations are rapidly changing, it is not clear when the product will be available to users.
What kind of technology Ive and Altman will develop in this project continues to be a matter of great curiosity, especially at a time when artificial intelligence is becoming more powerful and user-friendly. The question of whether the device to be developed will be a turning point in artificial intelligence-supported hardware remains to be answered.