Here’s what Jony Ive and Sam Altman revealed about their secretive AI hardware project at OpenAI’s Dev Day
In a packed room at Fort Mason, after a dazzling keynote of product announcements, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke with Sir Jony Ive, the legendary designer behind Apple’s most iconic products. The conversation, held exclusively for the 1,500 developers in attendance and not part of the public livestream, offered the clearest glimpse yet into the philosophy and ambition behind their secret collaboration to build a new ‘family’ of AI-powered devices.
The partnership, strengthened by OpenAIs An acquisition worth $6.5 billion from Ive’s hardware startup Io in May, has been the subject of intense speculation. While concrete product details remained secret, the discussion veered away from specifications and toward a profound, almost therapeutic mission: mending our broken relationship with technology.
For nearly 45 minutes, Ive, in his signature thoughtful cadence, articulated a vision that feels like both a continuation of and a repentance for his life’s work. The man who designed the iPhone, a device that arguably defined the modern era of personal computing, is now looking to fix the fears it helped create.
Jony Ive’s post-Apple mission, clarified by ChatGPT
Ive explained that the collaboration had been in the making for years, but it was the launch of ChatGPT that provided a sudden, illuminating purpose for his post-Apple design collective: LoveFrom.
“With the launch of ChatGPT, it felt like our purpose for the past six years became clear,” said Ive. “We started developing some ideas for an interface based on the capabilities of the technology these guys were developing… I’ve never encountered anything as vague in my career as the affordability, like the possibilities we’re starting to feel now.”
This possibility, he argued, requires a fundamental rethinking of the devices we use, which he described as “legacy products” from a bygone era. The core motivation, he emphasized, is not about corporate agendas, but about a sense of duty to humanity.
“The reason we do this is because we love our species and we want to be useful,” Ive said. “We think that humanity deserves much better than humanity in general is given.”
An ‘obscene understatement’: Jony Ive’s quest to cure our tech anxiety
The most striking theme of the conversation was Ive’s candid critique of the current state of technology – the ecosystem of which he played a major role. He described our current dynamic with our devices as deeply flawed, a problem for which he now sees AI as the solution, not an extension of it.
“I don’t think we have an easy relationship with our technology right now,” Ive began, before adding, “When I said we have an uncomfortable relationship with our technology, I mean, that’s the most obscene understatement.”
Rather than pursuing productivity, the primary goal of this new family of devices is emotional well-being. It’s a radical departure from the efficiency-obsessed ethos that dominates Silicon Valley.
When asked about his ambitions for the new devices, I prioritized emotional well-being over simple productivity. “I know I’m supposed to care about productivity, and I do,” he said, but his ultimate goal is for the tools to “make us happy and fulfilled, and more peaceful, and less anxious, and less connected.”
He saw it as an opportunity to reject the current fraught relationship people have with their technology. “We have an opportunity to… absolutely change the situation we’re in,” he said. “We do not accept that this should be the norm.”
Buried in genius: why ’15 to 20 compelling ideas’ have become Ive’s biggest challenge
While the vision is clear, the path is full of challenges. Reports have surfaced about it technical hurdles and philosophical debates delay the project. Ive himself has been a voice in this fight, admitting that the pace of progress in AI has been overwhelming. Rapid progress has generated a flood of possibilities, making the crucial act of focusing incredibly difficult.
“The momentum is so extraordinary… it’s led us to generate 15 to 20 really compelling product ideas. And the challenge is trying to focus,” I confessed. “I used to be good at that, and I’ve lost some confidence because the choices are like this: It’ll be easy if you really knew there were three good ones… it’s just not like that.”
This admission provides context for reports that the team is struggling with unresolved issues surrounding the device’s “personality” and computing infrastructure. The goal, according to one source, is to create an AI companion that is “accessible but not intrusive,” and to avoid the pitfalls of a “weird AI girlfriend.”
Beyond the screen: Ive’s design philosophy for an ‘inevitable’ AI device
Although no devices were shown, the conversation and previous reports provide clues. The project concerns a “family of devices“, not a single gadget. It will likely be a departure from the screen-centric world we live in. Reports suggest a “palm-sized device without a screen“that relies on cameras and microphones to perceive its environment.
Ive argued that it would be “absurd” to assume that today’s breathtaking AI technology would have to be delivered via “products that are decades old.” The goal is to create something that feels completely new yet completely natural.
‘It should seem inevitable. It should seem obvious, as if there couldn’t possibly be any other rational solution to the problem,” Ive said, echoing a design philosophy often attributed to his time working for Steve Jobs.
He also spoke about bringing back a sense of joy and whimsy to technology, and about pushing back on a culture that he believes has become too serious.
“In terms of the interfaces that we design, if we can’t smile honestly, if it’s just another very serious kind of exclusive thing, I think that would be a huge disservice to all of us,” he noted.
The chat ended without a product reveal, leaving the audience with a philosophical blueprint rather than a technical one. The central story is clear: Jony Ivethe designer who put a screen in every pocket is now betting on a screen-free future, powered by the formidable intelligence of OpenAI, to make us all a little less anxious and a little more human.
