OpenAI’s Jony Ive Hardware Dream Faces Big Delays, Insiders Say

OpenAI’s ambitious hardware venture with former (and legendary) Apple design chief Jony Ive is facing mounting technical hurdles, according to people familiar with the project who spoke to the Financial Times.

The two are said to be building a compact AI-powered gadget designed to interact through voice, cameras, and sensors rather than a traditional screen. The goal, sources said, is to create a new kind of everyday assistant—one that understands its surroundings and responds naturally—but progress has been slower than expected.

People briefed on the development said the biggest pain points aren’t with the physical design, which Ive’s team is known for perfecting, but with the software and infrastructure required to run OpenAI’s large language models on a mass-market device. “Compute is another huge factor for the delay,” said one person close to Ive. “Amazon has the compute for an Alexa, so does Google [for its Home device], but OpenAI is struggling to get enough compute for ChatGPT, let alone an AI device — they need to fix that first.”

Sources described the prototype as roughly the size of a smartphone—something that could sit on a table but also be portable. The device is meant to stay “always on,” continuously gathering data through its sensors to help the assistant remember context from past interactions.

Another unresolved issue is how the device should sound and behave. Developers are still debating what kind of personality the assistant should have—whether it should sound friendly and conversational or more restrained and factual. “Model personality is a hard thing to balance,” said one person close to the project. “It can’t be too sycophantic, not too direct, helpful, but doesn’t keep talking in a feedback loop.”

One person familiar with the concept said OpenAI wants the product to feel more natural than existing smart speakers. “The concept is that you should have a friend who’s a computer who isn’t your weird AI girlfriend . . . like [Apple’s digital voice assistant] Siri but better,” the person said.

The device is part of OpenAI’s growing hardware ambitions following its $6.5 billion (US) purchase of Ive’s design company, LoveFrom’s io, earlier this year. The acquisition brought over more than 20 former Apple engineers, and the company has since recruited additional talent from Meta and other hardware teams.

Two people told the Financial Times that OpenAI is working with Chinese manufacturer Luxshare and other partners to assemble the device, though final production may take place outside China.

Are you willing to open your wallet for Ive’s next big thing? We can’t wait for his classic voiceover on the promo video (please, Jony).