Think It and the It May Not Happen. Right, OpenAI?
October 29, 2025
The collaboration that was meant to revolutionize how humans interact with technology has hit some snags. Coming up with another iPhone-level idea is tough, it seems. Ars Technica reports, “OpenAI, Jony Ive Struggle with Technical Details on Secretive New AI Gadget.” While he was at Apple, Ive designed some of that company’s most iconic products. When OpenAI bought his startup for $6.5 billion in May, Altman and Ive promised a radical new AI assistant that would eclipse Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant: a palm-sized, screenless device that would incorporate real-world context and adapt to each user’s needs.
In order to achieve this grand vision, OpenAI hired at least a dozen Apple device experts on top of the 20-some former Apple employees at Ive’s startup. We are told it also poached some workers from Meta’s Quest headset and smart glasses projects. However, that pool of considerable talent has not ensured smooth sailing. We learn:
“Despite having hardware developed by Ive and his team—whose alluring designs of the iMac, iPod, and iPhone helped turn Apple into one of the most valuable companies in the world—obstacles remain in the device’s software and the infrastructure needed to power it. These include deciding on the assistant’s ‘personality,’ privacy issues, and budgeting for the computing power needed to run OpenAI’s models on a mass consumer device.”
Ah yes, computing power. The reason data centers are springing up like thirsty weeds across the land. While Amazon and Google have plenty of compute to power their assistants, we learn, OpenAI has some catching up to do. As for those privacy issues, the write-up does not elaborate. We would be curious to know those details.
Then there is the issue of the virtual aide’s personality. The write-up tells us:
“Two people familiar with the project said that settling on the device’s ‘voice’ and its mannerisms were a challenge. One issue is ensuring the device only chimes in when useful, preventing it from talking too much or not knowing when to finish the conversation—an ongoing issue with ChatGPT. ‘The concept is that you should have a friend who’s a computer who isn’t your weird AI girlfriend… like [Apple’s digital voice assistant] Siri but better,’ said one person who was briefed on the plans. OpenAI was looking for ‘ways for it to be accessible but not intrusive.’ ‘Model personality is a hard thing to balance,’ said another person close to the project. ‘It can’t be too sycophantic, not too direct, helpful, but doesn’t keep talking in a feedback loop.’”
Yes, one would not want to annoy the end user with cyclic conversations. Or a “weird AI girlfriend.” (By the way, have we given up hope on default male or gender-neutral AI voices? Just wondering.) The article notes a couple devices that sound similar to Altman and Ive’s vision have not fared well. Humane, a firm funded in part by Altman personally, has ditched its AI pin. Meanwhile, the Friend AI necklace has been widely reviled. Will the Apple vets (eventually) succeed where others have failed? But in OpenAI Land the “Sky” is the limit. He, just buy stuff. That sometimes is easier.
Cynthia Murrell, October 29, 2025
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