Earlier this year, we got the word that Jony Ive was collaborating with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on an AI device. Details of this device have been pretty scarce, but it appears that the team is full steam ahead on the project. Jony Ive just confirmed that the team is working on the device.
Right now, the jury is out on what this device will be. Since this whole venture seems to be in the early stages, we’re not going to find out for quite some time. What we do know is that the team has had the benefit of seeing the failure of the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1. Before learning what your device should do, it’s best to learn what it shouldn’t do.
So, there’s a chance that this team will be able to deliver a device that actually resonates with the community. We’ve already accepted that AI devices won’t take off, but there’s always the chance of that changing.
Jony Ive confirms that he’s working on an AI device with Sam Altman
The New York Times did a profile on Jony Ive, and this is what confirmed that he’s working on an AI device with Altman and other major players in the tech industry. These other people include Evans Hankey and Tang Tan. The latter was previously rumored to be a part of the project a few months ago.
This AI device, which is still unnamed, will have some serious resources going into it. For example, Ive’s company, LoveFrom, will lead the device’s design. Also, this device will benefit from Sam Altman’s software expertise. So, we know that there’s some talent behind this device even though we don’t know anything about it.
However, in this business, talent doesn’t mean anything if there’s no money. This device, according to the report, will get funding from LoveFrom and a company called the Emerson Collective. Along with that, the team is looking to raise additional funding for the device. It appears that they’re looking to raise up to $1 billion by the end of the year, which is a significant amount of money for a new device. We heard rumors that Masayoshi Son invested $1 billion into the venture last year, but we don’t know if that happened.
The device has a home
The team is getting ready to put production into motion with this device. Ive bought out a large 32,000ft² office building in San Francisco. This set him back a whopping $90 million.
This will be the home base for this device. At this point, there’s no turning back. We’ll have to wait to see what this device does and if it will earn back these massive investments.
