OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple chief designer Jony Ive have officially teamed up to develop a personal device based on artificial intelligence and are looking for funding.
Not much is currently known about the AI device, but it won't look like a smartphone. Altman is a major investor in the Humane AI pin, a wearable screenless artificial intelligence device, so it's possible he'll create a similar product with Ive.
News of a possible partnership between Ive and Altman first broke with&rsquo ;appeared last fall, but negotiations were at an early stage and nothing was officially announced at the time. Ive and Altman's unnamed startup is currently seeking funding from major venture capitalists, with Ive aiming to raise up to $1 billion in funding.
OpenAI may own part of the business, and the duo is also in talks with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son ( Masayoshi Son). Among potential investors – Thrive Capital, an investor in OpenAI, and Emerson Collective, a venture capital firm and philanthropic organization founded by Lauren Powell Jobs.
Ive stepped down as Apple's chief design officer in 2019, and although he continued to work with the Cupertino company as a consultant for several years through his firm LoveFrom, in 2022 Ive and Apple completely stopped working together.