Former Apple designer Jony Ive developed AI device

The former AppleDesigner Jony Ive confirmed in an interview with the New York Times that he has founded a start-up for AI hardware. Ive is reportedly running the company together with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. According to the report, their goal is to develop a product “that uses AI to create a computing experience that is less disruptive to social life than the iPhone.”

The idea for the start-up, whose name I did not mention, came about during several meetings with Altman last year. His company LoveForm was responsible for the actual design, I said, according to the New York Times. The specifications of the product and a timetable for a market launch have not yet been set. Industrial designer Marc Newson is also involved in the design.

According to the report, Laurene Powel Jobs’ Emerson Collective and Ive himself are among those involved in the financing. The goal is to raise a sum of one billion dollars by the end of the year.

According to previous reports, SoftBank is also said to have a financial stake in the start-up. The British chip developer is also said to be ARMwhich is 90 percent owned by SoftBank, will play an important role. The unnamed AI device is said to be less dependent on a display than smartphones.