'World's greatest designer' Jony Ive joins OpenAI to 'reimagine' computers

Sir Jony Ive, the hugely influential British decorator liable for the look of Apple's astir iconic and palmy products, is joining OpenAI.

Boss Sam Altman said helium was "thrilled" to beryllium partnering with the antheral helium called the "greatest decorator successful the world".

OpenAI, the shaper of ChatGPT, is buying Sir Jony's startup, io, successful a $6.5bn (£4.7bn) deal.

Mr Altman said helium was excited to "try to make a caller procreation of AI-powered computers" together.

Sir Jony - who designed the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad - volition "assume heavy plan and originative responsibilities" crossed the company, the 2 firms said successful an announcement.

AI bundle has made accelerated advances successful caller years, spearheaded by ChatGPT.

But processing caller hardware based astir it has proved much of a situation - with respective caller attempts failing to involvement consumers and attracting derision from reviewers.

Mr Altman though has spoken of his assurance that this concern tin win wherever others person failed.

"I deliberation we person the accidental present to benignant of wholly re-imagine what it means to usage a computer," helium said successful a video that accompanied the announcement.

Sir Jony said helium believed the satellite was connected the "brink of a caller procreation of technology".

It whitethorn not beryllium agelong until this caller "family of devices" from the brace marque an impact.

"The archetypal 1 we've been moving connected I deliberation has conscionable wholly captured our imagination," said Sir Jony.

Mr Altman said helium has already tried retired a prototype of a caller instrumentality designed by Sir Jony and his team, and helium thinks it is "the coolest portion of exertion that the satellite volition person ever seen".

Sir Jony worked for Apple for 27 years, helping to revive the institution with groundbreaking products including the iPhone and iPod.

He besides designed the iMac successful 1998 and the iPad successful 2010.

When Sir Jony near the institution successful 2019, Apple's CEO Tim Cook described him arsenic "a singular fig successful the plan satellite and his relation successful Apple's revival cannot beryllium overstated".

Shares successful Apple fell much than 2% pursuing the quality of his concern with OpenAI.

He near to recovered his ain company, LoveFrom, which has worked with companies specified arsenic Airbnb and Moncler.

In the announcement astir the merger, it said LoveFrom had been "quietly collaborating" with OpenAI for 2 years.

The thought for io, which Sir Jony founded past twelvemonth with others, followed this partnership.

"It became wide that our ambitions to develop, technologist and manufacture a caller household of products demanded an wholly caller company," said Sir Jony and Mr Altman.

OpenAI had a 23% involvement successful the start-up anterior to Wednesday's announcement, according to US media.

Ben Wood, main expert astatine CCS Insight, told BBC News that it would beryllium "foolish to stake against Jony Ive, fixed his singular way grounds of delivering products that disrupt a market".

"There is nary question that OpenAI would emotion to person a nonstop narration with its customers alternatively than delivering services via devices made by oregon powered by Apple, Google, oregon others," helium added.

Justin McGuirk, from the UK's Design Museum, said Sir Jony "brings superior plan credibility".

He said: "If OpenAI privation to instrumentality AI-based hardware to market, particularly astatine a clip erstwhile galore are sceptical astir the request for specified things, it's going to person to beryllium incredibly good.

"Ive's sanction volition boost assurance and support the hype instrumentality rolling."

A fewer companies specified arsenic Humane AI and Rabbit person tried to build bespoke devices for the AI era.

However, Humane AI, founded by a erstwhile Apple executives, struggled with its AI Pin device, which faced disapproval for artillery life, vigor issues, constricted functionality and precocious costs.

OpenAI acceptable disconnected a question of concern successful AI successful 2022 erstwhile it unveiled ChatGPT.

It has continued to propulsion into caller areas, specified arsenic buying and search, successful a situation to established tech giants.

The foray into hardware comes arsenic tech rivals specified arsenic Meta, Google and Apple person besides been investing successful products specified arsenic headsets and glasses, with caller opportunities owed to advances successful AI.

Additional reporting by Natalie Sherman