OpenAI's 'AI Friend' Collab With Former Apple Designer Faces Delays

OpenAI and former Apple designer Jony Ive have been working together on an AI device that could change how people interact with technology in daily life. However, according to the Financial Times, the project is facing big technical and privacy challenges that may delay its launch.

According to FT's sources, Ive is helping OpenAI design a natural-sounding virtual assistant that avoids intrusive or overly personal territory. One person familiar with the project said the goal is to create "a friend who's a computer"—something smarter and more conversational than Siri but without the awkwardness of virtual companions seen in science fiction.

Hardware-wise, the project is said to consist of a smart speaker without a screen, a digital voice recorder, and a wearable AI pin. One version is about the size of a smartphone but has no display, using a camera, microphone, and speaker to process voice and visual ...