OpenAI Eyes Jony Ive’s LoveFrom in Bold AI Hardware Play

A Designer’s Second Act

OpenAI is reportedly in late-stage talks to acquire io, an artificial intelligence project operated by LoveFrom, the creative startup founded by iconic Apple designer Sir Jony Ive. Known for spearheading the design of the iPhone, iMac, and other landmark Apple products, Ive’s venture into AI hardware marks a major new chapter in his career. Backed by $1 billion in potential funding from SoftBank, the startup endeavors to create a more intuitive and human-centric interface for AI—possibly redefining how we interact with machines. The acquisition could be one of OpenAI’s most ambitious moves yet, as it looks to move beyond software and into designing physical AI-driven devices.

Bridging Art and Artificial Intelligence

This strategic alignment of OpenAI’s cutting-edge language models with Ive’s hardware design mastery could yield a new class of AI devices that merge beauty, usability, and intelligence. Sources suggest the project focuses on developing a novel personal AI companion—something more sophisticated than a smart speaker and more personable than a smartphone. The concept may take inspiration from consumer electronics but lean heavily into ambient, context-aware AI. For OpenAI, this is more than a product play—it’s a statement of intent to humanize artificial intelligence at a time when trust in tech is under scrutiny and user interfaces remain largely utilitarian.