In a landmark development that will redefine the future of human-AI interaction, iconic designer Sir Jony Ive, the genius behind some of Apple’s most celebrated designs, has partnered with OpenAI, the world’s foremost artificial intelligence research and deployment organization.
The announcement had the tech world abuzz with excitement and speculation after being made earlier today, perhaps representing a paradigm shift in how we think about and use computers.
OpenAI buys design company Ive’s ‘io’ for $6.5 billion. Ive will take over a design and creative direction position overseeing a new era of AI-enabled products in this new acquisition.
This is a major move for OpenAI, and one that suggests the company is looking ahead to more than just software, and hopes to make its mark on the hardware world.
In the press release, CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, shared his excitement for the partnership, referring to Ive as “the most influential designer of all time.” He imagines a partnership that would be “redefining what it means to use a computer,” suggesting new interfaces and designs that go beyond conventional screens and keyboards.
For Ive, who worked at Apple for almost 30 years and played a key role in defining the design language of the iMac, iPod, iPhone and Apple Watch, the outlook was similarly sickly.
He thinks that the world is on the “cusp of a new generation of technology” and says that he’s thrilled to work alongside Altman and the team to build machines that are like an “extension of human ability.”
There is also much speculation this partnership could spawn entirely new types of AI-enabled hardware. Little is known about specifics of the deal, but OpenAI’s AI mega-brain and Ive’s design chops do hint at some miraculous creations to come – ones that are more intuitive, adaptive and connected to our lives.
It also brings into question how Apple will design future devices. Since Ive left in 2019 to start LoveFrom, the company has had iterative design changes rather than revolutionary leaps. And his personal involvement with a potential rival in the AI hardware ecosystem could make it even more tempting for Apple to innovate on AI — and device design.
Watch the first innovations to emerge from this partnership – with Altman and Ive both hinting that an early – revolutionary -product is already in the pipeline. The tech industry is holding its breath to see how this unlikely yet potentially world-saving partnership will remake the future of computers and our relationship to the digital world.
