Jony Ive and Laurene Powell Jobs Discuss OpenAI Partnership and Secret AI Device

Sir Jony Ive and Laurene Powell Jobs recently sat down with the Financial Times, offering insights into their long-standing relationship and, significantly, Ive's new chapter with OpenAI. The discussion provided more color on the already announced acquisition of io, Ive's AI hardware firm, by OpenAI, and touched on the secretive AI-powered device they are developing.

The Financial Times reported that Powell Jobs, through Emerson Collective, backed Ive's creative collective LoveFrom after he departed Apple in 2019 and also invested in io. OpenAI acquired io last month in an all-equity deal reportedly valuing the startup at $6.4 billion, a transaction set to make Ive a paper billionaire. While specifics of the device remain under wraps, Ive hinted at its purpose, stating, "Many of us would say we have an uneasy relationship with technology at the moment...we deserve better. Humanity deserves better." He suggested the collaboration with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revived his optimism in technology's potential.

This acquisition will see Ive and his design firm, LoveFrom, take on "deep design and creative responsibilities" to shape the "future look and feel of AI" through a new family of devices, as previously reported. Io's team of approximately 55 engineers and product specialists will merge with OpenAI, while LoveFrom will remain an independent client.


Altman commented on the partnership's potential, telling the Financial Times, "AI is an incredible technology, but great tools require work at the intersection of technology, design, and understanding people and the world. No one can do this like Jony and his team." He added, "I think we have the opportunity here to completely reimagine what it means to use a computer."

Ive expressed similar enthusiasm for the venture: "I have a growing sense that everything I have learned over the last 30 years has led me to this moment... The values and vision of Sam and the teams at OpenAI and io are a rare inspiration."

Though Ive and Powell Jobs kept specific product details close to the vest during the interview, we have heard some rumors about what the device might look like. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, for instance, previously reported that OpenAI and Jony Ive are developing a prototype AI device with no display, designed to be worn around the neck. Kuo's information suggests this wearable will use cameras and microphones for environmental sensing, offloading computing and display tasks to a connected smartphone or PC, with mass production possibly starting in 2027.

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