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Apple\u2019s former chief design officer, Jony Ive, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are allegedly exploring opportunities to collaborate on building an unspecified artificial intelligence \u201chardware device,\u201d according to two sources speaking to The Information<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This wouldn\u2019t be the first time that Altman has partnered with a former Apple designer on new hardware. Thomas Meyerhoffer<\/a> \u2014 who was Ive\u2019s first hire at Apple and worked alongside him on projects like the iMac \u2014 designed the spherical retina-scanning Orb<\/a> for Altman\u2019s Worldcoin crypto project<\/a>. Orb was developed by Tools for Humanity, a company that Altman co-founded in 2019 and serves as the company\u2019s chairman.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There\u2019s currently no word on what the device will be, or what purpose it serves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There\u2019s currently no word on what the device will be, or what purpose it serves. The Information<\/em> claims that Ive and Altman, who are friends, have been discussing what \u201cnew hardware for the AI age could look like.\u201d It\u2019s currently unclear if the device will be created by OpenAI, Tools for Humanity, or a third-party manufacturer, or indeed if the duo will decide to build the device at all<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son<\/a> is also reportedly involved in the discussions with Altman and Ive. Once the richest man in the world, Son has invested over $140 billion into AI-related startups<\/a> over the last few years and previously said he would make SoftBank \u201cthe investment company for the AI revolution.\u201d It isn\u2019t yet clear if he will remain involved with Ive and Altman\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n