|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
OpenAI is acquiring LoveFrom io, the AI-focused hardware startup founded by renowned iPhone designer Jony Ive, in a deal valued at just over $6 billion. The acquisition marks a major step in OpenAI’s expansion into consumer hardware, as it seeks to compete with tech rivals including Google, Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s xAI in the race to deliver next-generation AI-enabled devices.
In a joint letter published on OpenAI’s website, CEO Sam Altman and Jony Ive revealed that the two have been “quietly working together since 2023” on a shared vision for AI-powered products. The acquisition, they said, stems from the recognition that their ambition to “develop, engineer and manufacture a new family of products” could not be fulfilled without a dedicated company.
“After more than a year of research and design, we are now forming a new company to build tools that will redefine the role of artificial intelligence in our daily lives,” the letter stated.
The move highlights OpenAI’s growing commitment to physical devices as a critical part of its strategy to integrate AI into everyday experiences. According to reporting by AI Business, the acquisition reflects “a significant investment in the intersection of design and artificial intelligence.”
The new company formed through the deal is expected to draw on Ive’s expertise in consumer electronics and OpenAI’s advanced AI models to shape the future of human-computer interaction.
Excerpts from Aibusiness article by Berenice Baker
