According to the Financial Times on October 4, 2023:
OpenAI is in deep talks with former Apple designer Jonny Ive and Japanese tech giant SoftBank to fund a $1 billion project to build an "AI-powered iPhone."
The company is building on the success of ChatGPT to find the next big hardware platform for technology after smartphones in Silicon Valley.
The Financial Times, citing three people familiar with the matter, reported that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has commissioned Ive's company, LoveFrom, to develop OpenAI's first consumer device.
On Tuesday, The Information first reported news of Ive's partnership with Ultraman. After 20 years at Apple, he founded LoveFrom in 2019 and played a key role in Apple's development of some of its most influential hardware, such as the iPhone and iPod.
While the project is still in its early stages, the pair discussed a number of potential designs in a brainstorming session and wanted to create a "more natural and intuitive user experience when interacting with AI," with the Financial Times reporting that they drew inspiration from the way the iPhone's touchscreen is changing the way we interact with the mobile internet.
According to the Financial Times, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is in talks with the two companies to inject more than $1 billion into the joint venture and discuss creating a company that leverages the talent and technology of the three companies.
According to the Financial Times, Son is also pushing chip design company Arm, which owns about 90 percent of Arm, to play a central role in the project.
The Financial Times said the talks were "serious" but not final. The newspaper warned that no agreement has been reached, that any formal announcement could take months, and that a product could take years to hit the market.
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Dear Data Producer's New Book: "I See the Storm"
Dear Data Producer's New Book: "I See the Storm"
Dear Data Production