OpenAI and Jony Ive have ambitious plans for an all-new AI device. While this non-smartphone product looks more and more like the series of AI pals we’ve seen in the past few years, including Humane’s AI Pin and that Friend necklace, it seems Sam Altman and Ive are having issues perfecting the device.
According to the latest Financial Times report, the San Francisco-based startup still struggles with the device’s software and the infrastructure needed to power it. With that, the teams face privacy issues, the necessary budget for the computing power to run OpenAI’s models on this consumer device, and its personality.
A person familiar with the matter said that “Amazon has the compute for an Alexa, so does Google, but OpenAI is struggling to get enough compute for ChatGPT, let alone an AI device.” Still, this AI device, which is designed to sit on a desk or table, could be delayed to late 2026 or even 2027.
OpenAI’s always-on device aims to be like Siri but better
Another person familiar with the matter said, “The concept is that you should have a friend who’s a computer who isn’t your weird AI girlfriend… like Siri but better.” With that, the company is still struggling with the right personality for this device, as “it can’t be too sycophantic, not too direct, helpful, but doesn’t keep talking in a feedback loop.”
If OpenAI and Jony Ive are able to crack these problems, we could be just a few months before an iPhone-like revolution, as we’d have a device that works like a true companion, taking action, explaining things around us, and saving time with daily tasks.
OpenAI, which has recently been valued at $500 billion, wants to justify its new price tag with a push into hardware. While the company promised this future non-smartphone will be the first of many hardware products expected with Ive’s partnership, we still have to see what they will be able to do together.
