OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently gave employees a preview of the AI devices he’s developing with former Apple designer Sir Jony Ive, aiming to ship 100 million AI “companions” that seamlessly integrate into daily life, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Altman and Ive offered limited details about their secretive project, but the product is described as being fully aware of a user’s surroundings and life.
It will be unobtrusive, small enough to fit in a pocket or sit on a desk, envisioned as a third core device a person would put on their desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone, according to the report.
Crucially, it will not be a phone, and the design’s intent is to help users let go of screens.
Altman confirmed the device is not a pair of glasses, and that Ive had been skeptical about building something to wear on the body.
Ive called the project “a new design movement,” while Altman referred to the hardware lineup as a “family of devices.”
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities, the current prototype is about the size of an iPod Shuffle and has cameras and microphones for environmental detection but no screen display.
It can be worn around the neck and is expected to connect to PCs and smartphones for display purposes.
Kuo’s checks suggest mass production will begin in 2027, with assembly and shipping happening outside of China to mitigate geopolitical risk.
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