“When individuals view it, they remark, ‘is that all there is?’… It has such simplicity.’”
That is how Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, anticipates individuals will react upon initially encountering the company’s upcoming AI hardware product.
The product is the result of OpenAI’s partnership with Jony Ive, previously Apple’s top designer. Details remain scarce, but it’s reported to be “screenless” and small enough to fit in a pocket.
Earlier in the year, OpenAI procured Ive’s design firm, io, aiming to popularize AI through some form of technological device. This past weekend, at Emerson Collective’s 9th annual Demo Day in San Francisco, Altman and Ive elaborated on their vision for their AI device during a discussion led by Laurene Powell Jobs.
While OpenAI is withholding specifics regarding the device, currently a prototype, Ive and Altman were eager to express the product’s “feel.”
Notably, Altman likened the device to the iPhone, calling the Apple smartphone the “pinnacle of consumer products” to date. He suggested his life could be divided into the periods before and after the iPhone.
However, Altman voiced concerns that current technologies are rife with distractions.
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“When employing current devices or most programs, I feel as though I am navigating Times Square in New York, constantly addressing minor annoyances — flashing lights, people jostling me, and overwhelming noise, creating a disturbing experience,” he stated. Altman believes the issues with today’s devices lie in their bright, attention-grabbing notifications and dopamine-driven social applications.
“I don’t believe it is fostering peace and calmness in our lives, nor is it allowing us to concentrate on our priorities,” he remarked.
In contrast, Altman suggested the AI device should evoke the feeling of “sitting in a beautiful cabin by a serene lake in the mountains, simply enjoying the peace and quiet.”
He described a device capable of filtering distractions for the user, based on the user’s trust in the AI to manage tasks over an extended period. It should also possess contextual awareness to determine the optimal timing for presenting information or requesting input from the user.
“Over time, you develop trust, and it gains remarkable contextual understanding of your entire existence,” Altman added.
Ive verified at the event that the device is expected to launch in less than two years.
“I am drawn to solutions that border on appearing deceptively simple,” Ive shared with Powell Jobs during the interview. “Furthermore, I appreciate incredibly smart, complex products that invite interaction, inspire confidence, and encourage effortless use — products employed almost unconsciously, serving as mere tools,” he elaborated.
