OpenAI Buys Jony Ive's AI Startup to 'Completely Reimagine What It Means to Use a Computer'

[smulji]

What do you think Steve and Jony would make today?

What Steve was working towards was something along the lines of the Knowledge Navigator. I can't prove it but I'm sure this is what he had in mind when he acquired Siri

 

[smulji]

You’ve hit the nail on the head.

This is exactly the mission statement that jobs would’ve set Apple.

And I’d predict that just how the iPhone knowingly cannibalised the iPod, he would’ve been willing for this new device to cannibalise the iPhone.

And what could this device be?

I’m thinking that at least it’ll be something like the device that the main character in ‘Her’ uses, where audio is the primary interface with a screen showing additional output information only.

Like this device, you can be sure it’ll have a camera so that ChatGPT can interact with your environment. It may even be paired with smart glasses down the road.

ChatGPT will surely also be able to know everything about your stuff - email, files, calendar etc - which it doesn’t yet.

Presumably it’ll do this via using a web browser / APIs in the backend as I’d imagine that this device won’t have a web browser nor will it have the ability to install apps. Nothing time wasting here.

It’ll no doubt have agentic capabilities where it can book seats for you etc etc.

And like the AI in her you can imagine that it’ll be pretty proactive in suggesting various things to you - which will be a killer feature.

But you can imagine that your smartphone can do all of this and more. So perhaps the key difference is that it won’t cost too much as long as you subscribe to a ChatGPT tier for 1 to 2 years.

Will lots of people buy this ? The jury is out.

 

[God of Biscuits]

So Ive and the other former Apple designers are all about to become several-next-levels richer based on the theft of other people's work.

Yay.

 

[God of Biscuits]

I hear you. I love Gruber's take on this deal;

"This industry needs a heavy dose of new ideas for new devices. This is just a vibes teaser, but the vibe is a shot across the bow. It conveys grand ambition, but without pretension. To say I’m keen to get my hands on what they’re making is an understatement."

Sam Altman and Jony Ive Introduce ‘io’, the Device-Making Partnership Between OpenAI and LoveFrom

Link to: https://openai.com/sam-and-jony/

daringfireball.net

Apple under Steve Jobs was always about new ideas and grand ambitions. Now it's just about the milking past ideas to make shareholders happy

Leave it to Gruber to wrap his hypocrisy in so much more hypocrisy that he can sell it to everyone else as a fresh hopeful take on "grand ambition". What a bunch of BS.

 

[ronno]

If I had a dollar for everyone that said Apple was going to fail, but they keep going up. It feels like the people holding the signs that say, the world is coming to an end. Sure they’ll right sooner or later just like a broken clock is right two times a day.

People are referring to them failing at Real innovation as of late, while they obviously know how to make tons of money. Though these App Store changes (and maybe Google will have to stop forking over $20B a year, etc.) may make a dent in that massive cash flow.

 

[buckwheet]

Bad day for macrumors and his crusade against Ive.

They had to admit that much of the historical Apple design team stayed with Ive, and they were acquired by their next hero of the speculative bubble (but what do you really think we don't know?), the infamous Altman.

They will end badly, but before them Apple will end badly, and with her MacRumors.

Whoever is the cause of his evil must cry for himself!

Well, "Apple ending badly" has been the prognostication of the week for the last 45 years, or so, so I wouldn't hold your breath. OpenAI is actually in a much more precarious position, at their young age.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Ignore the hype from people who predict the end of the world and seem happy about it.

That said, I find AI useful day to day. I've used generative fill a ton in Photoshop and Chat GPT answer questions I used to Google, or to generate QR codes.

So...machine learning and a slightly different interface with a few less clicks?

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

I don't work anymore. I retired from Apple in 2014. But I was able to automate my entire house, and used ChatGPT for aggregated answers to many questions and provide solutions when things didn't go as easily as advertised. And nothing was as easy as advertised!

so it's a faster google?

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

I spoke to a professional Slovenian UN translator about this a few months ago. She translates the UN documents from English to Slovenian and says there are still many nuances, so she feels safe in her job for at least another 5 years or so. However, for regular personal and business correspondence AI tools are already doing really well. The “out of work” argument has been there since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Work simply evolves and we need to adapt, that is a fact. Staying in the same situation “forever” is not good for anybody, IMHO.

If we were headed toward UBI, I'd agree with you.
But currently, people need to work to live and not everyone can do physical labor.

 

[victorvictoria]

so it's a faster google?

No. When you do a Google query, you get millions of hits to wade through. When you ask the same thing of ChatGPT, it searches ALL those hits in seconds (sometimes less) and finds the most relevant and reliable answers. You know, it's free. Maybe try it before opining on its value.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

No. When you do a Google query, you get millions of hits to wade through. When you ask the same thing of ChatGPT, it searches ALL those hits in seconds (sometimes less) and finds the most relevant and reliable answers. You know, it's free. Maybe try it before opining on its value.

...so it does what you can get from Google, slightly faster?

Why do you assume I haven't done this? It's great for comparing baseball stats over time.

I just don't see the real world value in more easily being able to sort through articles on the web, at the cost AI demands.

Sure, it helps people who already have money make their lives a little easier, but what about people who still have to work for a living?

 

[surferfb]

...so it does what you can get from Google, slightly faster?

Why do you assume I haven't done this? It's great for comparing baseball stats over time.

I just don't see the real world value in more easily being able to sort through articles on the web, at the cost AI demands.

Sure, it helps people who already have money make their lives a little easier, but what about people who still have to work for a living?

Imagine you're a contractor/electrician/plumber/other tradesperson. Here are some things AI could help you with:

• Take a picture of a lighting/plumbing fixture/appliance to get the product manual
• Taking a picture of something malfunctioning to quickly identify broken parts/components
• Quickly identifying error codes and their meaning in plain English
• Code compliance checks to flag potential building code violations
• Faster and more accurate cost estimates
• Automatic generation of invoices / job reports; Drafting and sending payment reminders
• Answers to technical questions from apprentices/less experienced employees
• Chatbots to screen incoming requests; answer quick questions and schedule appointments without humans
• Improve scheduling jobs / optimizing route to customer sites
• Creating marketing content
• Drafting permit applications

I also personally think AI is going to make starting and running your own business significantly easier.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Imagine you're a contractor/electrician/plumber/other tradesperson. Here are some things AI could help you with:

• Take a picture of a lighting/plumbing fixture/appliance to get the product manual
• Taking a picture of something malfunctioning to quickly identify broken parts/components
• Quickly identifying error codes and their meaning in plain English
• Code compliance checks to flag potential building code violations
• Faster and more accurate cost estimates
• Automatic generation of invoices / job reports; Drafting and sending payment reminders
• Answers to technical questions from apprentices/less experienced employees
• Chatbots to screen incoming requests; answer quick questions and schedule appointments without humans
• Improve scheduling jobs / optimizing route to customer sites
• Creating marketing content
• Drafting permit applications

I also personally think AI is going to make starting and running your own business significantly easier.

yes, we'll need to become tradesman because big companies will no longer need employees.

 

[surferfb]

yes, we'll need to become tradesman because big companies will no longer need employees.

I mean, either it's worthless or it's so good it's going to take everyone's jobs. It can't be both.

 

[sleeptodream]

I suspect it’ll look more like a minimal piece of jewellery, as Ive was always about wanting the computer to disappear.

But I think you’re onto something - the display I mentioned may in fact be on a watch - after all Ive is the designer of the Apple Watch - but one that nags you way less than the Apple Watch does.

Thinking it through, we may end up with a suite of products rather than it being just one thing only ie a watch and glasses may be optional extras.

I think a pendant would make sense, Jony would know how to make it stylish. Something for the wrist just seems the most obvious since a lot of people already wear smart watches, and if it wrapped it could have a big enough display for content consumption/photo taking

But yeah you’re probably right, it could very well be a family of products. I could see a small tablet or foldable, something wearable, maybe glasses that use the processing in the other devices? Will be interesting to see what direction they take it

 

[bluecoast]

I think a pendant would make sense, Jony would know how to make it stylish. Something for the wrist just seems the most obvious since a lot of people already wear smart watches, and if it wrapped it could have a big enough display for content consumption/photo taking

But yeah you’re probably right, it could very well be a family of products. I could see a small tablet or foldable, something wearable, maybe glasses that use the processing in the other devices? Will be interesting to see what direction they take it

Rumours say that it is indeed a pendent - like a iPod shuffle - so well done you guessed right!

 

[bluecoast]

Wow that's a great find - so let's expect the Apple Knowledge Navigator in 2027. Only 40 years late.

But in all seriousness, yeah, I'd expect this is how our interactions with AI to go in the future - that and 'Her'.

 

[sleeptodream]

Rumours say that it is indeed a pendent - like a iPod shuffle - so well done you guessed right!

This would be cool!

I’ve had a pendant attachment for my Apple watch since the series two, it does kind of look like jewelry with the stainless model. Would be really useful to have a full AI assistant in there!

 

[NeekonMike]

You can’t do a lot of work on that phone in your pocket. A workstation in one form or another will always be around for serious workflows.

Sadly, not even on an iPad... although I eagerly jumped on the first gen and kept updating ever since (mini7 currently), I must say it's been a disappointment overall. But the possibilities of the watch excite me - Apple's been building AI support into all chips for a while, and the AI Pin debacle made me realize that most "futuristic" scenarios are already better served by the watch. Camera in the next one? 😆

 

[victorvictoria]

...so it does what you can get from Google, slightly faster?

Why do you assume I haven't done this? It's great for comparing baseball stats over time.

I just don't see the real world value in more easily being able to sort through articles on the web, at the cost AI demands.

Sure, it helps people who already have money make their lives a little easier, but what about people who still have to work for a living?

If you don't get with the program, OpenAI will be taking your job. Unless you're in the trades.

 

[rafark]

i wonder if Ive was involved enough to have an impact on the ui? Because chatgpt 3 used to have more shades and depth and suddenly last year or so the ui became flat, like extremely flat. Ios 7 levels of flat.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

If you don't get with the program, OpenAI will be taking your job. Unless you're in the trades.

Comply or become homeless, huh?
Yeah, AI seems GREAT for people.

 

[AshGuy]

I could not get past the first few seconds where Jonny was blowing smoke up Sam's ass. Is the intent for Jonny to help find a use for some of this AI tech or just to make something pretty with AI in it?

 

[genovelle]

Many here disagree because they are very immersed in Apple’s ecosystem. It’s great there now but the danger is you don’t know what’s going on outside. Apple is very publicly behind in AI. They are also behind in foldables (the rumor of next years folding iPhone sounds great until you understand that competitors are already moving to trifolds). Apple is behind in home devices. Apple is behind in wearables. Apple is behind in soo many new tech categories and AI is tying them all together.

I’m not saying Apple is DOOMED!1! but I have no confidence in Tim Cook to innovate out of this bind

The key is Apple is not great at being first. They never are. They are best being very late to the party because they let other run into the walls and crash and burn concepts and good will. Then they figure out what they did wrong and create a consumer friendly solution

 

[Col4bin]

If I had a dollar for everyone that said Apple was going to fail, but they keep going up. It feels like the people holding the signs that say, the world is coming to an end. Sure they’ll right sooner or later just like a broken clock is right two times a day.

Until something comes along that knocks Apple off its perch, you’re right. But it could be just around the corner. Apple should be innovating but has grown a little complacent. Yeah the sales figures are strong but how long can this last without new groundbreaking tech and ideation only?