23-May-2025 :

OpenAI has formally confirmed its design collaboration with Sir Jony Ive, the former Apple design chief, alongside Sam Altman, to build groundbreaking AI-native hardware. This public confirmation follows the news of OpenAI’s $6.5B acquisition of Ive’s design firm.
The partnership’s goal is to rethink what intelligent devices look and feel like in a world where AI agents are central. Ive, now leading design efforts across OpenAI, will work alongside Altman and the OpenAI team to develop products that bridge the gap between software intelligence and real-world interfaces.
In their joint note, Sam and Jony express a shared belief in building calm, intuitive tools that enhance how people interact with AI — from voice-first experiences to ambient agentic environments. The duo believes it’s time to ‘invent a new category of device entirely’ — one rooted not in screens or keyboards, but in contextual awareness, presence, and usefulness.
This collaboration is already underway and is expected to shape OpenAI’s future product line beyond APIs and chatbots. While details remain under wraps, the company notes that the new hardware will be purpose-built for human-AI interaction — accessible, beautiful, and radically user-first.
The announcement reaffirms OpenAI’s vision to lead not only in large language models but also in shaping how those models are experienced by everyday users through dedicated, design-first devices.