First details on the mysterious “AI companion” by Openaai and Jony Ive

For 6.5 billion dollars, Openai takes over the startup of Apple legend Jony IVE – and builds a physical device. The planned AI companion deliberately dispenses with displays and should become the third indispensable tech product in everyday life.

First insights into Openais AI companion

As already reported yesterday, Openaai takes over the Ki-hardware startup IO of the former Apple designer Jony IVE in a stock deal worth $ 6.5 billion (about $ 5.7 billion). Now the first details of the planned and previously largely mysterious AI device became known: It should be inconspicuous to find space in the pocket or on the desk, the Apple connoisseur Ming-Chi Kuo thinks that it could possibly be carried around your neck.

The device, reminiscent of iPod Shuffle, should be completely aware of its surroundings and the activities of the user. The managers are convinced that in addition to laptop and smartphone, it will become the third “core device” in everyday life. However, the device will explicitly not be a smartphone and probably do not have a display – because one of the main goals from IVE and Altman is to wean the people of screens. Openai wants to combine the technology behind its popular chatt-chatbot with product design expertise that made devices such as the iPhone bestsellers.

Ambitious plans

Like that Wall Street Journal reports, the ambitions of the team are remarkable: Openai-CEO Sam Altman and IVE in a video explained that the currently used products are “decades old” and that it was time for something new.

Altman described the already existing prototype as “the coolest piece of technology that the world has ever seen”. Ive, which is known for its minimalist design philosophy, significantly shaped the appearance of products such as the iMac, iPhone and the Apple Watch during his almost 30-year career at Apple. Its approach to design, which combines functionality with aesthetic elegance, could be crucial for the success of the new AI device.

Various challenges

However, the vision of a device without a display raises questions about the user interaction. Experts suspect that language could be the primary interface, possibly supplemented by haptic feedback or subtle visual indicators. However, one can speculate about the exact technical implementation of a device that continuously perceives and understands its surroundings, and not to mention questions of energy efficiency and data protection.