We’ve heard on and off the new AI device that Jony Ive is working on with Sam Altman and OpenAI. The previous most recent development was that the device in question will not have a screen. As for the actual most recent development, it’s that it may have gotten its launch pushed back to next year.
The Financial Times reports that there are critical issues with the device yet to be solved, delaying its release. Said issues include the infrastructure that powers it, as well as on the software side of things. Which include the AI assistant’s “personality”, as well as privacy issues. Finally, there’s also the question of budgeting for the device’s computing power needed to run OpenAI’s models on a “mass consumer device”.
Despite this, sources cited by the report chalks the aforementioned challenges up to teething problems that are normal parts of the product development process. It helps that OpenAI has kept mostly quiet about it, and not mention a launch date previously.
The sources are also cited describing the device as being roughly about the size of a smartphone. Instead of a screen which it won’t have, users will interface with it via a camera, microphone and speaker. It may even have multiple cameras, as well as working while desk-bound or while being carried around. The caveat is that it is also being described as being “always on” rather than being triggered by a prompt.
(Source: FT)
