Apple iPhone Designer Jony Ive Confirms Working with OpenAI

Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief, has confirmed his collaboration with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on a secretive AI hardware project. This partnership has been in the works for about a year and aims to create a device that uses generative AI to handle complex user interactions more efficiently than traditional software. 

Ive’s design firm, LoveFrom, is spearheading the development, and the project has secured funding from the Emerson Collective, led by Laurene Powell Jobs. The team currently includes several key figures from Ive’s past work on Apple products like the iPhone.

Although the specifics of the device are still under wraps, the goal is to create an innovative AI product that could redefine user interactions with technology. The design is being developed in a newly acquired office space in San Francisco, with potential for significant funding by the end of 2024​.

Earlier there has been speculation on this partnership on how Altman and Ive are collaborating to build a device described as the “iPhone of artificial intelligence.” This collaboration seeks to blend AI tech with intuitive design, aiming for a product that is both highly functional and visually appealing. 

Though the plans for the exact form factor that LoveFrom is working on is unclear, speculations around a home device like an Alexa Mini, or something similar to Humane Ai are floating around. OpenAI’s technology and Ive’s hardware design prowess are bound to make something beautiful happen. 

All About LoveFrom

Founded in 2019 by Ive and his long-time collaborator Marc Newson, LoveFrom is based in San Francisco and London, bringing together a diverse group of designers, architects, musicians, filmmakers, writers, engineers, and artists.

LoveFrom has successfully gathered a notable clientele, including prominent names like Airbnb Inc., Ferrari NV, and Moncler SpA. Additionally, the company had a three-year consulting deal with Apple, which concluded in 2022. Remarkably, over 20 former Apple employees are now part of LoveFrom's team.

This is not the first time Altman has shown interest in venturing into hardware. In 2020, he invested in a startup called Humane Inc., which aimed to create products for the generative AI era. Altman invested $30 million in Series A funding for Humane. Interestingly, Humane was founded by former Apple employees Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno.