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According to a leaked recording of an OpenAI staff meeting on Wednesday, CEO Sam Altman hinted at a new secret project he’s been working on with former Apple designer Jony Ive. Altman has been collaborating with Ive’s startup, io, on AI “companion” devices, which he says offer “the chance to do the biggest thing we’ve ever done as a company here.”
During the meeting, Altman announced plans to acquire io for $6.5 billion, noting that the acquisition could add up to $1 trillion to OpenAI’s valuation. He revealed his plans to give Ive a major creative and design role at OpenAI, according to The Wall Street Journal’s exclusive report.
Few details known about OpenAI companion devices
Altman and Ive kept details scarce at the meeting. Altman claimed that stealth will be essential to their ultimate success so that competitors can’t copy the device before it’s ready to launch.
The AI company hopes to release the mysterious device by the end of 2026. Altman expressed his hopes of eventually shipping 100 million of these AI companions, though he acknowledged that wouldn’t be possible on day one.
While the exact type of device is unknown, the WSJ revealed that it will be relatively small, able to sit atop a desk or fit in a pocket. The item is expected to be a “core device” that becomes part of everyday life, so consumers will reach for it as often as they use their iPhones and MacBook Pros.
As the Journal described it, the device will “be fairly aware of a user’s surroundings and life.”
The device won’t be a phone or a pair of glasses, and it is unlikely to be a wearable. Its intent is supposedly to wean users off screens, but OpenAI hasn’t provided more details about what that might look like.
OpenAI seeks to compete with tech device giants like Apple, Google
With this acquisition, OpenAI is positioning itself to compete with Apple and Google, whose operating systems collectively run almost all of the world’s smartphones. While Apple and Google may lag behind in artificial intelligence, the tech giants dominate the consumer electronics market.Competing with these companies’ brand reputation, massive market share, long history of success, and multi-trillion-dollar revenue will be difficult for OpenAI, which has yet to turn a profit and doesn’t expect to do so until 2029. However, without building its own device, OpenAI won’t be able to interact directly with consumers and will instead have to rely on other companies’ devices to act as a go-between between users and their AI tools.