Legendary Apple designer Jony Ive is reportedly working on a screenless AI phone

News about OpenAI and Jony Ive's partnership has been circulating for over a year. While initial rumors hinted at an AI hardware being jointly developed by OpenAI and the legendary Apple designer, more details about the alleged product have surfaced online.

According to a new report by The Information, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has stepped in to acquire an AI hardware startup founded by Jony Ive and OpenAI's current CEO, Sam Altman. The deal is reportedly worth around $500 million.

The Ive-Altman partnership, dubbed io Products, is working on a slew of AI products and smart home gadgets. However, the startup allegedly wants to swim against the tide and release an AI phone without a screen. However, some people with direct knowledge of the matter have said the alleged product is not a phone after all.

It remains to be seen what product the former Apple design chief has kept up his sleeve. An AI-powered phone without a screen seems more like the failed Humane's AI Pin, which could never fulfill its potential and was a vague product. The entire company was eventually sold to HP.

OpenAI has also explored the possibility of partnering with Ive-Altman AI hardware startup instead of fully acquiring it. The giant AI company could provide software and support while Ive and his team work on product design.

OpenAI can also access the technology behind the product and the engineering team if it acquires the startup. Two former Apple designers, Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, have also joined Jony Ive's AI venture.

While the concept of an AI-powered phone is still in its infancy, it might hold great potential for the future. The key question that manufacturers need to address is how this product would differentiate itself from a traditional smartphone equipped with ChatGPT or Siri.

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