In 2023, rumors swirled in the tech world that Jony Ive – Apple's former chief design officer – was collaborating with OpenAI on an AI hardware project. The rumors were confirmed earlier this year when OpenAI announced the acquisition of Ive's startup 'io' for $6.5 billion in cash. Along with that, leaks of a number of AI products in development, including a pendant-like wearable, a smart speaker, and even a robot.
However, according to recent reports, at least one of these projects is facing serious technical problems.
The big problem lies in software and infrastructure.
The Financial Times revealed that OpenAI and Ive's secret device – said to be a compact, screenless device capable of detecting images and sounds from its surroundings to assist users – is now facing 'life-threatening problems'.
The source said the problems were primarily software and infrastructure-related, not hardware-related, suggesting Ive's team was not directly responsible for the current difficulties.
A source close to Ive said:
Computing power is a big part of the slowdown. Amazon has the infrastructure to run Alexa, Google has the infrastructure to run Home, and OpenAI is still struggling to meet ChatGPT's own processing needs—let alone run its own AI device. They need to solve that problem first.
Additionally, the development team is also having to consider the AI's personality, personal data security issues, and the massive amount of processing required for the product to operate stably at a commercial scale.
As described, the device has no screen, only uses a camera, microphone and speaker to communicate with the user. It is designed to be both fixed on the table and portable. However, because this is an 'always-on' device, the development team is facing a difficult problem: how to make the AI only respond when really necessary, and automatically end the conversation when the exchange is complete - something that even ChatGPT currently cannot do perfectly.
If all goes well, this 'new kind of smart speaker' could be released by the end of next year. While the current technical challenges are complex, the rapid pace of AI development has many experts believing that Jony Ive and Sam Altman's team can definitely find a way to overcome them.
It's likely that in the coming months, we'll learn more details about this mysterious AI device – which could reshape the way humans interact with technology.