The tech world dropped another heavyweight bombshell on this (22nd) midnight. The leader in the artificial intelligence field, OpenAI, released a latest video at 1 AM, with CEO Sam Altman personally announcing: OpenAI is merging with the emerging hardware company "io" founded by Jony Ive, the former Apple design chief and a legendary figure in industrial design. (Foreign media reported that the merger amount is as high as $64 billion)
They spoke directly in the video that the goal after the merger is to develop a series of revolutionary AI hardware devices by combining their expertise in AI technology and top-tier design, aiming to completely rewrite the human-machine interaction paradigm of the past decades. They unanimously believe that although cloud AI capabilities have reached a "magical" level of intelligence, existing hardware devices, whether laptops or smartphones, have become inadequate and outdated in providing people with convenient and intuitive access to these powerful AI capabilities.
Sam Altman stated when announcing this news: "We are at a point where we can completely reimagine the meaning of humans using computers." He described Jony Ive as "a rare visionary," while Jony Ive praised Sam Altman for "bearing an incredible responsibility, but his curiosity and humility remain inspiring."
Century Collaboration: The Vision Convergence of AI Giants and Design Fathers
"If I want to query something discussed earlier with ChatGPT, imagine what would happen?" Sam Altman described the current cumbersome interaction, "I have to pick up my laptop, open it, launch the browser, start typing, explain the context, and then press confirm and wait for a response. This is the current limit of laptop tools, but I believe this technology deserves a better carrier."
It is precisely this dissatisfaction with the status quo and hope for the future that prompted this collaboration. Jony Ive also expressed a similar view: "The products we use to connect those unimaginable technologies have been around for decades. Therefore, it is common sense to at least think that there must be other possibilities beyond these traditional products."
Beyond Imagination: The First AI Device Prototype Shocks the World
Regarding the first product of their collaboration, although it is currently in a highly confidential stage, the disclosed information is enough to spark unlimited imagination among global tech enthusiasts. Jony Ive once called Sam Altman, saying that this prototype is "the most outstanding work our team has ever created."
Considering that Jony Ive previously led the design of iconic products like iPhone and MacBook Pro that changed the world, the weight of this evaluation is self-evident. After personally experiencing the prototype, Sam Altman was even more excited, stating: "I believe this will be the coolest tech product the world has ever seen." Confidently suggesting that the upcoming product might be one with disruptive innovation, rather than just an improvement of existing technology.
Industry Earthquake: Opportunities and Challenges in the New AI Hardware Track
Although OpenAI has no previous experience in hardware, the merger with io will undoubtedly introduce potential variables to the global technology supply chain, especially in the AI hardware field. It may directly challenge the current hardware market landscape dominated by giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft.
According to Sam Altman, OpenAI's latest AI model can already demonstrate "genius-level" capabilities in various fields, improving users' (such as scientists') work efficiency by "two to three times". If the new device can seamlessly release this potential, its market appeal will be immeasurable.
However, from concept to a successful commercial product, it still faces challenges in manufacturing, supply chain, market promotion, and user habit cultivation. The moat ecosystem established by previous leaders is not easily broken, and more time is needed for verification.
