OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple chief designer Jony Ive have revealed new insights into their secretive AI hardware project during a conversation at Emerson Collective’s Demo Day in San Francisco. Though details remain scarce, the duo described their vision for a pocket-sized, screenless device that aims to redefine how people interact with artificial intelligence. Altman likened the experience to “sitting in the most beautiful cabin by a lake and in the mountains,” emphasizing peace, calm, and focus—qualities he says are missing from today’s overly stimulating devices. Altman criticized modern smartphones and apps for creating a chaotic, distraction-filled environment akin to “walking through Times Square,” where flashing notifications and dopamine-driven design pull users away from meaningful work and presence. He believes current technology fails to support mental clarity and instead amplifies noise and urgency. In contrast, the new device is meant to be a trusted, context-aware companion that anticipates needs, filters distractions, and presents information only when appropriate. “You trust it over time, and it does have just this incredible contextual awareness of your whole life,” Altman said. Ive echoed this sentiment, describing the ideal product as one that feels intuitive and effortless to use—so natural that users interact with it “almost without thought.” He praised designs that appear deceptively simple, calling them “solutions that teeter on appearing almost naive in their simplicity.” For Ive, the best products carry a “sense of inevitability,” where the complexity behind them is invisible. He dislikes designs that boast about their difficulty or demand constant attention, comparing them to a dog wagging its tail in your face. The device, still in prototype form, is the result of OpenAI’s $6.5 billion acquisition of Ive’s AI hardware startup, IO, in May. While the company hasn’t disclosed specifics, Altman confirmed the product will launch in “even less than two years.” He also shared a revealing anecdote about the design process: an early prototype failed to evoke the emotional connection they wanted. “I did not have any feeling of, I want to pick up that thing and take a bite out of it,” Altman recalled. It was Ive who suggested the test—when a design feels so right, you instinctively want to interact with it physically, almost playfully. Eventually, they achieved that feeling. Altman said the final prototype “finally got there,” embodying both elegance and profound intelligence. The goal isn’t just functionality but joy—creating a tool that feels like an extension of the user, not a chore to manage. Though OpenAI has not confirmed whether the device will be standalone or part of a broader family of AI products, the collaboration signals a major shift toward hardware-driven AI experiences. While competitors focus on software and cloud-based models, OpenAI and Ive are betting on physical devices that seamlessly integrate AI into daily life—quietly, respectfully, and beautifully. The project reflects a broader ambition: to bring AI into homes and pockets not as another screen or app, but as a calm, thoughtful presence. If successful, it could redefine consumer tech—not by adding more features, but by removing friction, noise, and distraction. As Altman put it, “When people see it, they say, ‘That’s it?’… It’s so simple.” That simplicity, they believe, will be its greatest innovation.