OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple chief designer Jony Ive have for the first time elaborated in detail on their vision for a "screenless" and pocket-sized AI hardware device that they are collaborating to develop. This product, praised by Altman, is expected to end the "digital noise" and distractions brought by modern technology.
During the ninth annual Demo Day event at the Emerson Foundation in San Francisco, Altman described the differences between the new device and existing smartphones in a striking contrast during an interview with Laurene Powell Jobs.
Competing with iPhone: From "Times Square" to "A Cabin by the Lake"
Altman said that when the product is released, people's first reaction might be: "That's it?... It's too simple." He compared it to the iPhone, calling the Apple smartphone the pinnacle of consumer electronics, and admitted that his life can be divided into before and after the iPhone's appearance.
However, Altman then strongly criticized the distracting nature of modern technology. He compared the feeling of using current devices and most apps to "walking on Times Square in New York," filled with "flashing lights and constant noise," which causes "distraction." He believes that flashing notifications and dopamine-inducing social apps hinder people's focus on their own affairs.
The atmosphere of the future AI device, however, would be more like "sitting in the most beautiful cabin by a lake or in the mountains, enjoying a peaceful and serene environment."
Trust and Context Awareness
Although OpenAI (which acquired Ive's design startup io earlier this year) has not yet revealed specific details about the prototype device, Altman emphasized that the core of the device lies in user trust and context awareness.
This AI device will be able to filter information for users and be designed to handle various tasks for users over a long period. It will have the ability to perceive context, knowing the best time to present information to the user and ask for their opinion. "Over time, you will trust it, and it will actually have an incredible understanding of your entire life," Altman added.
Ive echoed this vision from a design perspective. He said he likes solutions that "seem simple but slightly naive," as well as "extremely smart and elegant products that you can't help but want to touch, without feeling any fear, almost using them without thinking—they are just tools."
It is reported that this AI device, aimed at bringing artificial intelligence to the masses through technology products, is expected to be launched within two years
