Jony Ive’s Future AI Device Is ‘Not a Phone’ But It Will Be Able to Make Calls

Former Apple design chief Jony Ive is currently working on the first device from his own company, LoveFrom. The first details about Ive’s new “personalized AI device” suggest that the designer may be treading familiar territory again, collaborating with OpenAI chief Sam Altman.

Image Source: 9to5mac.com

Although the design of the future personalized AI device is still in development, it is already being compared to a smartphone. “OpenAI has discussed in recent weeks acquiring io Products, a startup founded by its CEO Sam Altman and former Apple designer Jony Ive that is working on creating a personal AI device, according to two people familiar with the talks,” according to a recent publication by journalists from The Information. The deal could be worth $500 million.

The reporters’ sources said the design of the AI ​​device is in the early stages of development and has not yet been finalized. They said it could potentially be a screenless mobile device or an AI-enabled home appliance. Others with knowledge of the matter said it was “not a phone.”

This discrepancy in statements from sources may indicate that the device in development is potentially so innovative that people are having trouble drawing analogies with existing products. The idea that it is a phone “without a screen” seems absurd, but it may help to determine the direction of the product. It may not technically be a phone, but it is a device that can be used to make calls.

Ive’s new product may not be positioned simply as a niche companion to the smartphone. It may even have ambitions to replace the smartphone entirely. Of course, the work is still early days, and details are scarce. But early hints indicate that this personal device is being built from the ground up and is aimed at the AI ​​era. So it’s no surprise that OpenAI is considering buying io Products, Altman’s company that is working on the new device with Ive.