OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive just announced a new company called io, which will be a fusion between OpenAI and LoveFrom. This AI-first company will introduce “a family of AI products” as soon as 2026.
While io hasn’t revealed its first product yet, there have been numerous reports about it, and Altman and Ive teased at least the “foundations” of its first real AI device.
These are some hints about what io’s first AI product could be:
ChatGPT integration: Let’s start with an easy one. There’s little doubt that io’s AI device will be deeply integrated with ChatGPT. While Google pretty much made Gemini an operating system, it’s only natural that ChatGPT will take a similar approach by being a hub from where users will be able to access endless features, from those we are already familiar with in the AI platform, to others that will only be possible with this device.
It’s all about friendship: As weird as it sounds, Altman and Ive want to ensure that people see AI as a friend, not a scary machine. If you’ve read or watched a sci-fi novel or movie, you know how stories with robots usually end: They take control of humanity. Of course, this is not the message io wants to send. We may get an AI companion device that is always ready to help, a similar idea Humane had with AI Pin, but didn’t know how to execute.
Not-a-phone: Reports suggest the device that io is developing is “not a phone.” Instead, it might be similar to a smartphone, just without the large display.
It already exists: If you live in the San Francisco area, you might be able to spot tech titans already taking advantage of this technology. Of course, details remain under lock and key, but the video’s message is clear: They already have a functional working prototype, and it’s changing how we interact with technology. If the statement is true, the iPhone will soon feel like yesterday’s technology.
Launches in 2026: By the end of their introduction video, Sam Altman and Jony Ive announce that the first io product will be introduced in 2026. With more than seven months to go until 2026 begins, there will be plenty of rumors until we see what the first io product looks like. However, they’re already building the hype for this product.
