Jony Ive and Sam Altman Say They Finally Have an AI Hardware Prototype
- Reference: 0180197413
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/11/25/006212/jony-ive-and-sam-altman-say-they-finally-have-an-ai-hardware-prototype
- Source link:
> In an interview with Laurene Powell Jobs at [2]Emerson Collective's 2025 Demo Day , they said they are currently prototyping the device, and when asked about a timeframe, Ive said it could arrive in "less than" two years. Little has been revealed so far about the OpenAI device in development, but it's rumored to be screen-free and "roughly the size of a smartphone."
>
> Altman described the design as "simple and beautiful and playful," adding that, "There was an earlier prototype that we were quite excited about, but I did not have any feeling of, "I want to pick up that thing and take a bite out of it,' and then finally we got there all of a sudden." Ive similarly emphasized simplicity and whimsy, saying, "I love solutions that teeter on appearing almost naive in their simplicity, and I also love incredibly intelligent, sophisticated products that you want to touch, and you feel no intimidation, and you want to use almost carelessly, that you use them almost without thought, that they're just tools." Altman went on to comment, "I hope that when people see it, they say, 'That's it!,'" to which Ive responded, "Yeah, they will."
[1] https://www.theverge.com/news/827607/openai-hardware-prototype-chatgpt-jony-ive-sam-altman
[2] https://www.emersoncollective.com/persons/sam-altman-and-jony-ive-dd-2025
Knowing Jony Ive... (Score:2)
... whatever it is, it'll be ultra-thin, will thermal-trottle all the time, and have only one port.
Re: (Score:2)
It will look and feel like a bathroom accessory. Talking soap on a rope, anyone?
Re: (Score:2)
Gotta be brave like those "brave" Apple engineers who removed the headphone jack.
Well now... (Score:4, Funny)
"I want to pick up that thing and take a bite out of it"
Out of touch and taking the good drugs while at work, yup, true denizen of the C-suites.
Jony Ive and Sam Altman Have A Circle Jerk (Score:2)
Two years out = they have nice renderings and lots of wishful thinking.
AI Lump (Score:2)
Didn't Humane already produce and market an AI Lump? Do they think there's still room in the market after that amazing success?
I think the only ones waiting on "AI hardware" - in this context, seeming to mean a gadget saleable to consumers - were investors. Investors who believe that all OpenAI has to do is hire an Ive and they'll pop out an iRobot iPhone that people will want.
Their lack of understanding the technology doesn't surprise me. Their lack of understanding human needs and wants does a little, tho
My guess is... (Score:3)
Large lens with a bright red iris. Small speaker below. Small, but non-zero, chance of murdering you.
Can't AI replace old mate Jony? (Score:2)
I thought AI was supposed to replace all kinds of professionals - designers included. AI design should bootstrap itself with its own designs. Since they are not eating their own dogfood, it's just further proof that the AI hype bubble is just that. It wasn't that long ago when everything was "blockchain! blockchain! blockchain!" and now the mantra is "AI! AI! AI!" There’s an old saying in Tennessee - I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, "fool me once, shame on shame on you.
Absolutely pointless (Score:3)
There's only 2 reasons to have a new piece of hardware rather than make this an app on your phone:
1)It adds new sensors that your phone doesn't have (yet) that will enable new functionality. This won't be the case, as there's no usecase for it
2)It adds a new IO methods that aren't possible on the phone. AR goggles might do this. An AI assistant doesn't, it's all audio and voice.
This is basically just going to be replacable with a bluetooth microphone paired to an app on your phone. Which means nobody is going to buy it- even if they can actually find a usecase people want AI for (doubtful).
I figured out what it is... (Score:3)
Altman described the design as "simple and beautiful and playful," adding that, "There was an earlier prototype that we were quite excited about, but I did not have any feeling of, "I want to pick up that thing and take a bite out of it,'
Duh. It's a sex toy.
Re: (Score:2)
Or it is the next version of the [1]"Humane AI Pin" [wikipedia.org], but named differently.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humane_Inc.#Ai_Pin
Re: (Score:3)
My money's on this one. Whatever it is, it will be something that has to be paired to an internet-connected mobile device to work, making it nothing more than a wireless camera and microphone module for a smartphone. But they will charge as much as an entire cheap Android handset for the hardware and it will need a monthly subscription fee, too. People will feel too self-conscious using it in front of others (unless they are people whose jobs you control, because you know they wont dare laugh at you then).
Re: (Score:3)
Or written off for the pure BS and hype that it actually is. Altman will say and do almost anything to get a jolt out of investors, rather than listen to how early AI users are defeated and scrambling for actual answers.
You can mod me down, but this isn't a new iPhone-level technology change, this is enslaving one's self to a cloud future where you're little more than attached to The Matrix in some slovenly way.
Tech bloggers are like print-media moguls used to be, selling ink by the barrel. In reality, Altm