Former Apple design director Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are reportedly exploring opportunities to collaborate on building an unspecified artificial intelligence “hardware device,” according to two sources who spoke to Information.
This wouldn’t be the first time Altman has teamed up with a former Apple designer on new hardware. Thomas Meyerhoffer, who was Ive’s first employee at Apple and worked alongside him on projects such as the iMac, designed the Spherical Retinal Scanning Orb for Altman’s Worldcoin crypto project. Orb was developed by Tools for Humanity, a company that Altman co-founded in 2019 and serves as president of the company.
It is currently unknown what the device will be or what it is for.
It is currently unknown what the device will be or what it is for. Information claims that Ive and Altman, who are friends, have been discussing what “the new hardware for the AI era” could look like. It is currently unclear whether the device will be created by OpenAI, Tools for Humanity, or a third-party manufacturer, or even if the duo will decide to build the device. absolutely.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is also reportedly involved in talks with Altman and Ive. Once the richest man in the world, Son has invested more than $140 billion in AI-related startups in recent years and previously said he would make SoftBank “the investment firm for the AI revolution.” It is still unclear whether he will remain involved in Ive and Altman’s plans.
