OpenAI and Johnny Ive are working on a screenless AI device, but face challenges
By ForGeeks
OpenAI and renowned designer Jonny Ive, formerly of Apple, are experiencing serious technical difficulties in creating a new screenless device, the Financial Times reports.
OpenAI acquired io, a startup founded by Ive and OpenAI head Sam Altman, for $6.5 billion in May. At the time, Altman said Ive’s team would help create «a new generation of artificial intelligence-based computers». The first devices were expected to launch in 2026.
According to the FT, the project aims —to develop a compact, palm-sized device that can pick up voice and visual cues from the environment and respond to user queries. However, there remain unresolved issues around the assistant’s «identity» identity, data security and computing infrastructure, which could delay the launch.
The FT reported that the project’s goal is to develop a compact, palm-sized device that can pick up voice and visual cues from its surroundings and respond to users’ requests.
One of the challenges has been managing the behavior model: the device is planned to be in the «always-on» format, so that it reacts to what’s going on around it without an explicit command. But the team hasn’t yet figured out how to make sure that the assistant only intervenes when it’s really needed and ends the dialog in a timely manner.
