It will be the “coolest piece of technology the world will have ever seen,” says Sam Altman, head of OpenAI. What the ChatGPT device will be, the tech world is eagerly anticipating.
From TVs to laptops to tablets, tech companies continue to focus on reducing hardware size while multiplying the utility. Experts are predicting that the future of the industry with AI will lie in devices smaller than your mobile phone.
At least that’s what the news indicates.
In an announcement last month, the ChatGPT maker revealed that OpenAI had purchased the company of former Apple designer, Jony Ive, the man credited with designing so many iconic Apple products. Ive’s firm, io Products, was bought for over $6bn.
It’s a clear signal of OpenAI pivoting into the hardware space with a ChatGPT device. But what’s the vision?
What we know about the ChatGPT device
The plans for this in-development ChatGPT wearable are big. The WSJ reports that the vision for this hardware device is to ship 100 million units that Altman hopes “will become a part of everyday life.”
OpenAI and io Products are working to launch a product with a “more natural and intuitive user experience” to interact with artificial intelligence, according to the Verge. Sam Altman, head of OpenAI, with his recent investment in Humane, a company developing AI wearables, is believed to be on a mission to replace the mobile phone with a device that can harness the potential of AI and apply it to daily life. Watchers are speculating the version 1 of this device would be more like an assistant. Something that would answer questions, give driving directions, translate languages, coach you and more, meant to be tethered to a phone or computer.
Rumors suggest their prototype could resemble a screen-less pendant, similar to an iPod Shuffle, housing mics, cameras, and pairing with phones or PCs.
Some of the other reported features:
- ChatGPT integration to power daily life
- Wireless, screenless design, like an iPod shuffle
- Ethically and socially mindful
- Including a camera, microphone and ability to sync with other devices
- Elegant design
- Release date of 2026-2027
Vision for a less disruptive device
Part of the inspiration for Ive and Altman is a desire to have a less socially disruptive device than what’s in the market. Ive has spoken publicly about the struggle he has faced in the wake of the widespread deployment of devices he designed, after seeing the impact to modern life. Ive has said, in a previous interview with the FT, that tech firms have a ‘moral responsibility’ to deal with the addictive impact on society and that tech companies should try and predict as many unintended consequences as possible when designing new products.
It seems Ive is looking to undo some of the negative impact that his former employer, Apple, has contributed to in modern life.
Critics’ skepticism
While the promise of AI is bold and real, bottling it in a device has proven difficult. Early products like the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 (pictured above) have been labeled as “very poor products,” creating a high bar and healthy skepticism for devices emerging in this space.
Analysts believe that this is just the beginning in a wave of AI-enabled devices and that there is deep competition brewing in “AI-first” hardware ecosystems.
It will be fun watching how it all plays out over the years.