OpenAI has announced a formal merger with io, an AI-focused hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. As part of the deal, Ive and his creative firm LoveFrom will assume major design and creative leadership roles across both io and OpenAI.
The partnership marks a new chapter for OpenAI as it moves beyond software to develop its own hardware products built specifically to harness generative AI. Ive, who is best known for leading the design of the iPhone, iMac, and MacBook during his time at Apple, is now tasked with rethinking what computers can look and feel like in the age of artificial intelligence. Ive left Apple in 2019.
