OpenAI and Jony Ive are teaming up to launch a physical AI product project, which could be worn around the neck and resemble an iPod Shuffle.
Yesterday, we learned that OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, was acquiring the IO startup for the tidy sum of $6.5 billion. This company was founded by one Jony Ive, the designer of Apple's first iPhone models. He will now join OpenAI to imagine a new AI-powered tech product.
For now, official details on OpenAI and Jony Ive's joint projects are understandably scarce. But analyst Ming Chi Kuo, known for his predictions about future Apple products, has gleaned some interesting information about this supposedly revolutionary device.
After the failure of the AI Pin, Jony Ive believes in an AI-powered iPod Shuffle
He explains that “the current prototype is slightly larger” than Humane's AI Pin, which claimed to replace the smartphone, but which quickly flopped and is no longer supported. He mentions a “form factor as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle”, but that the final design and specifications could evolve between now and release.
My industry research indicates the following regarding the new AI hardware device from Jony Ive's collaboration with OpenAI:
1. Mass production is expected to start in 2027.
2. Assembly and shipping will occur outside China to reduce geopolitical risks, with Vietnam currently the… pic.twitter.com/5IELYEjNyV— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 22, 2025
Kuo specifies that the device will be equipped with cameras and microphones for environmental detection and analysis. However, it will be completely display-free. This feature should make it an accessory rather than a standalone product. It should also connect to smartphones and PCs to demonstrate its full potential. “One of the planned use cases is wearing the device around the neck,” the analyst says.
Mass production is expected to begin in 2027, in Vietnam to avoid potential geopolitical issues. We still have some time before this amazing device arrives on the market. For Kuo, the timing of OpenAI and Jony Ive’s announcement is not accidental. The goal would be to overshadow Google, which just held its I/O conference, largely devoted to AI.
After chatbots and assistants, “AI integrated into real-world applications, often called “physical AI,” is widely recognized as the next major trend,” says Ming Chi Kuo, according to whom this project is clearly part of this trend. What if AI Pin was just ahead of its time?
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