OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has described a secretive AI gadget as a “third core device,” following the computer and smartphone.

In a private staff call leaked to The Wall Street Journal, Altman said the device will be “fully aware of a user’s surroundings and life,” small enough to fit in a pocket or sit on a desk, and “unobtrusive”.

He emphasized that it will not be a wearable and will aim to “wean users from screens.”

Altman claims the device could increase OpenAI’s valuation by $1 trillion. This projection comes shortly after OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s design company, io, for $6.4 billion.

The Role of Jony Ive and the Vision Behind the Design

Jony Ive, the former Apple designer known for the iPhone and MacBook Pro, has called this project “the best thing he has ever done”.

In a recent interview, Ive shared his sense of purpose, saying, “Everything I have learned over the last 30 years has led me to this place, and this moment”.

Laurene Powell Jobs said she witnessed the project evolve through various stages—from sketches to prototypes.

“Just watching something brand new be manifested—it’s a wondrous thing to behold,” she told the Financial Times.

A Compact Form with No Screen

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted that the current prototype is “as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle,” and may be worn around the neck.

The device is reportedly slightly larger than the Humane AI Pin, but without a screen. According to Kuo, it could connect to smartphones and PCs for additional computing power and displays. It may include cameras and microphones for “environmental detection”.

Altman has rejected the idea of an “iPhone for AI,” but the product appears to fall within the emerging “physical AI” category.

The device aims to work in the background of daily life, processing environmental data and responding intelligently.

High Production, High Expectations, and Public Backlash

To announce the project, OpenAI released a nine-minute video featuring Altman and Ive.

The $3 million production was directed by an Academy Award winner and included shots of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The video did not reveal specific details about the product but emphasized the two-year collaboration between Altman and Ive.

The production involved shutting down streets and relocating bus stops, which reportedly frustrated residents, according to The San Francisco Standard.

Market Skepticism After Similar Failures

The announcement follows the failure of the Humane AI Pin, a similar device created by former Apple designer Imran Chaudhri.

The Humane device, launched in April 2024, clipped onto clothing and used sensors and voice control. It was poorly received and quickly labeled a flop.

Altman had previously invested in Humane. Despite this, some analysts see the new device as another attempt to shift attention away from recent challenges at OpenAI, including leadership changes and financial losses tied to ChatGPT’s ongoing development.

Analyst Thomas Husson of Forrester commented, “Except smartwatches, no new product category has emerged since the smartphone. That said, there is room for disruption and innovation”.

PHOTO: YANKODESIGN

This article was created with AI assistance.