Sam Altman, Jony Ive, tease arrival of their AI device

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Sam Altman, Jony Ive, tease arrival of their AI device

27 November 2025

Stevie Bonifield, writing for The Verge:

In an interview with Laurene Powell Jobs at Emerson Collective’s 2025 Demo Day, they [Altman and Ive] said they are currently prototyping the device, and when asked about a timeframe, Ive said it could arrive in “less than” two years.

We only have to wait another two years to see what this is all about. From what I can gather though — albeit as an armchair expert — we might see an AI powered powered device, possibly similar in appearance to a smartphone, but without a screen, that responds only to voice commands.

As to what actually eventuates, only time will tell.

The Jony Ive/OpenAI device, a limited function, screenless, smartphone?

29 May 2025

Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at Hong Kong based TF International Securities, spills the tea, perhaps, about the upcoming “futuristic AI device” being designed collaboratively by former Apple CDO Jony Ive, and OpenAI.

According to Kuo (X/Twitter link), the device is intended to be worn around the neck. A bit like a lanyard maybe. It will be a little bigger than the erstwhile Humane AI Pin, will have cameras and microphones, but no display screen.

The device however will connect to smartphones and computers, and use their screens, and, by the sounds of things, tap into their computing capabilities also.

This detail intrigues me. Given the Ive/OpenAI device is intended to be “a product that uses AI to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone”, doesn’t deriving much, or some, functionality from an iPhone (or other smartphone), defeat the purpose?

Otherwise the device sounds like a lite version of a smartphone, that you could keep on your side table overnight. It can still make and pickup phone calls, act as an alarm clock, and offer information in response to voice prompts.

Things like: “what’s the weather forecast?” or: “what’s making news headlines this morning?” It may be possibly be a device that keeps us connected to the outside world, but prevents social media doomscrolling in the middle of the night.

That might be something people will find useful. We’ll have to wait and see what is actually shipped.

Jony Ive and Sam Altman announce collaboration in video lovefest

24 May 2025

Jony Ive, former Chief Design Officer at Apple, founded LoveFrom in 2019, when he left Apple, with Australian designer Marc Newson. In 2024, Ive established io, as a vehicle to move into the AI space.

A few days ago we learned Ive is joining forces with OpenAI founder Sam Altman, and io will merge with OpenAI. You take the last letter of OpenAI, pair it with the first, and you get io, right? The merger however sounds like the tech/design collaboration made in heaven.

No clues have been offered as to what can be expected of this coming together, other than an AI device of some sort. According to a Wired article published last September, it will be “a product that uses AI to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone“.

If you haven’t see the video announcing Ive and Altman’s partnership, and have a spare nine minutes, take a look. What a beautiful tech bro bromance we have going on here.