If you purchase something through the links in our articles, we may receive a commission. This assists in supporting our journalism. Learn more. We also invite you to subscribe to WIRED.
Taking it easy. Recently, we’ve undergone a logo refresh, received a significant profile in the New York Times, and launched a collaboration with Moncler outerwear from LoveFrom, the design studio led by Jony Ive and Marc Newson in San Francisco. However, the real development is the confirmation that LoveFrom is collaborating with Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, on a confidential AI device, supported by investors like Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective and Ive himself.
Jony Ive, the former chief design officer at Apple, is sometimes playfully teased for his focus on minute details. Yet, when it comes to a potential mainstream human-AI interaction, his five-year dedication to exploring buttons—culminating in a five-volume history of garment fasteners—may render him the ideal person to navigate this intricate balance of ethics and ambition.
Details remain limited but indicative, particularly concerning intentions. LoveFrom is reportedly developing “a product that leverages AI to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone.” The specifics of the device’s design and its release timeline are still under consideration. The indications suggest a mass-market consumer device aimed to access ChatGPT and Dall-E, positioning itself against features like the recently revealed Apple Intelligence features, which encompass typing requests, prompts for Siri, and using the camera for visual queries on the newest iPhone 16.
Not everyone finds the idea appealing. “To me, AI on smartphones, especially in social media, is just a shallow extension of a business model that has been exploitative to consumers for years,” comments industrial designer and Fuseproject founder Yves Béhar. “The attempts to use AI in our daily communications and social media are just more of the same, serving the attention economy rather than benefiting society.”
A core question surrounding the LoveFrom and OpenAI collaboration (LoveFrom opted not to comment for this article) is whether the upcoming product will be a single thing—potentially succeeding where the Humane Ai Pin (4/10 from WIRED) and Rabbit R1 (3/10 from WIRED) accessories fell short—or a network of interconnected components.
This raises questions about whether the product will need sufficient processing power to operate some or all functions locally or if it will depend on cloud computing. Here, the industrial and UI design choices may influence security and privacy outcomes. Another design question that could be on Ive’s agenda is whether the main thing will feature a display and what that might entail. According to a report in the Financial Times last September, citing unnamed sources familiar with the discussions, the collaboration with OpenAI presents a chance to find a way to engage with computers that is “less reliant on screens,” with numerous concepts being considered. When NYT reporter Tripp Mickle visited LoveFrom HQ, he observed papers and cardboard boxes which contained the “earliest ideas” for the device(s) being moved between offices.
At this point, terms like ambient computing, ubiquitous computing, and even (groan) Internet of Things may be swirling in your mind. Are we revisiting this concept? If so, it might not be a cause for concern. Béhar references Embodied’s Moxie companion robot, ElliQ’s elder care solutions, and the Happiest Baby robotic bassinet as instances of AI-powered devices that genuinely address specific human needs—but it’s important to note that Béhar is involved in all these creations. He explains, “We are developing these experiences to be embedded directly into the physical elements of these products, rather than solely on your smartphone. This reduces the dependence on a personal device and results in solutions that are less disruptive socially and, in fact, more magical in their application.”
Just last week, Sir Jonathan Ive was presenting degrees to graduates from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College at a ceremony held at the Royal Festival Hall in London, highlighting his status as a prominent figure in design. Stephen Green, who leads the joint Innovation Design Engineering program at the two universities, believes Ive is ideally suited to embrace and transform the various post-smartphone, post-screen innovations that have come and gone over the past decade. This includes technologies like voice agents, which Green argues should be used in conjunction rather than isolation, wearables, Bluetooth beacons for improved location accuracy, signal processing, and even olfactory sensors—though perhaps we’re not quite ready for the last of those just yet.
“Looking back, that was the brilliance of Apple when Steve Jobs was at the helm,” Green states. “He was essentially a marketing expert with remarkable technological insight who could, through what is often described as design leadership, assemble an extraordinary team of individuals and investors to bring ideas to fruition. Therefore, Jony Ive possesses many of the necessary qualities, supported by a network that can unite to create significant advancements. This leverage is essential to innovate, especially since much of the technology and potential already exists.”
The initial speculations and reports hinted, of course, at an “iPhone of AI,” implying a groundbreaking device designed to make advanced technology accessible to everyday users. It’s likely that any transformative system developed by LoveFrom and OpenAI will position itself in contrast to the iPhone. The discussions surrounding social disruption and our dependence on screens resonate with Ive’s somewhat ambiguous reflections over the years regarding smartphones and social media dependence.
I’ve publicly stated that he limits his children’s screen time. When asked by Anna Wintour at the WIRED25 Summit in 2018 if we are now “too connected,” he replied: “The nature of innovation is that you cannot predict all the consequences. In my experience, there have been surprising outcomes. Some wonderful, and some less so.”
One individual who embodies a departure from smartphone norms and San Francisco culture is Anjan Katta, the founder of Daylight. His DC-1 tablet challenges conventional technology with a 60-fps paperlike display. Katta points out that our current consumer tech, with its blue light, flicker, and addiction-inducing notifications, can contribute to illness and heightened anxiety. “Having personally faced severe repercussions from modern technology—including eye strain, disrupted circadian rhythms, worsened ADHD symptoms, and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression,” he states, “I fully support efforts to design personal computing devices that don’t monopolize our time and energy.”
This potential shift in human-machine interaction presents an opportunity for Jony Ive to address the turmoil that has characterized the past two decades of consumer tech, perhaps even rectifying some of the chaos he helped create. “I don’t accept the notion that Jony Ive is trying to atone,” comments Craig Bunyan, associate director for creative technology at the design agency Seymourpowell. “The design of the device itself didn’t give rise to toxic social media dynamics, encourage doomscrolling, or permit anonymous individuals to disseminate hatred.”
Nevertheless, we might be standing at a pivotal moment akin to the dawn of the smartphone era. Bunyan lists potential features for an AI-driven system, such as voice controls, ambient notifications, and context-aware responses—elements that engage users without requiring constant conscious participation or consent. Regardless of whether Jony Ive is our “digital savior,” he is indeed focused on technology that “seamlessly integrates with the rhythms of human interaction.” His colleague Mariel Brown, director of foresight, suggests adopting the French notion of savoir faire as a benchmark for generative AI. “The skill to navigate social contexts effortlessly could significantly boost the value of current virtual assistants,” she remarks. “This raises critical questions regarding autonomy and free will. The stakes are substantial, with these systems needing to maintain a careful equilibrium between convenience and personal agency.”
At this juncture, it’s vital to refer back to Spike Jonze’s film Her when considering how AI might be personified and materialized (though we can envision a system that incorporates both exquisitely designed components and nearly invisible accessories). One hopes that the vision board at LoveFrom HQ includes the recent A24 series Sunny, available on Apple TV+, which is set in a near-future Kyoto where “HomeBot” technology is commonplace.
The assistant robot, created for showrunner Katie Robbins by Wētā Workshop, is impressive, but what truly captivates is the background tech of post-screen computing. Rashida Jones’ character, Suzie, and her team utilize a unique handheld flip-out gadget resembling a retrofuturistic “phone.” This device cleverly serves as a charging case for a smart earbud that provides real-time translation and can easily transfer images and videos to large home projectors. Its design is inspired by 1960s Japanese lighters, featuring paperlike electronic displays reminiscent of shoji screens. The overall chicness of this technology could be the subtle touches, like earbud charging, that stand out more than other options like Humane’s laser projector.
Exploring the past works of LoveFrom, two important themes emerge: modularity and sustainability. Their recent endeavor includes a just-released collection for Moncler, featuring jackets and a poncho. The $2,000-plus jacket is designed from a single piece of fabric and incorporates innovative two-part magnetic buttons made from aluminum, steel, and brass, allowing the modular components to connect seamlessly. Additionally, LoveFrom has been approached to add an Apple Watch-inspired digital “touch” to Ferrari interiors, even creating a prototype steering wheel that pays homage to the brand’s racing legacy for the Agnelli family.
Jony Ive, Marc Newson, and their teams have collaborated on luxury design projects for five years, including a charitable, limited edition Linn Sondek LP-12 record player—aimed to be preferred by jazz musicians. Ive’s meticulous nature is evident in LoveFrom’s development of a new serif typeface inspired by Baskerville, a coronation emblem for King Charles III, and various architectural projects centered around their headquarters in San Francisco.
While it remains uncertain what specific projects LoveFrom has embarked on for Apple, it is rumored to be among their initial clients. Their approach, spending vast sums to transform parking lots into vibrant cityscapes and green spaces, coupled with a disregard for financial norms in urban real estate and undertaking influential projects without charge, hints at a man who has truly escaped.
He has also taken a significant number of Apple team members along with him. Together with Marc Newson, a distinguished industrial designer known for his work during the creation of the Apple Watch, this includes Evans Hankey and Tang Tan. Hankey, who assumed the role of Apple’s VP of industrial design after Ive’s departure in 2019, and Tan, former VP of iPhone and Apple Watch product design, are now involved in the discreet AI device startup.
According to Stephen Green from Imperial, it seems that Ive and Newson have fostered a culture at LoveFrom that encourages the kind of creative freedom and methodologies typically found in research laboratories and academic institutions. “I am always fond of the story he shares about his father being a design and technology teacher, instilling in him a very hands-on approach to interacting with the physical world,” he notes. “Thus, Jonathan Ive will forever be connected with tangible hardware. Yet, as humans, we possess a considerable number of latent psychomotor skills, understanding the link between physical touch and our sensory responses, along with how we process information through our brains.”
This methodology, according to Green, may play a vital role in the creation of responsible AI hardware. “A key element in unlocking potential is engaging in rapid low-fidelity prototyping early in the development stages,” he elaborates. “This allows the use of Wizard of Oz techniques [for autonomous interfaces], facilitating role play and enabling practical experimentation with concepts in ways that academics grappling with AI ethics in a Cambridge boardroom simply cannot achieve.”
Ive mentioned to the New York Times that he has already recruited approximately 10 individuals for the new AI hardware enterprise. A quick look at LinkedIn reveals additional potential names associated with LoveFrom: designer Chris Wilson, the former head of UI design at Apple, who contributed to the LoveFrom serif typeface; CC Wan Si Wan, an Apple veteran with over 15 years of experience as a designer and human interface designer; Kevin Will Chen, who managed design for Apple Watch for nine years; along with ex-Apple interface and industrial designers such as Biotz Natera Olalde, Jon Gomez, and Joe Luxton, as well as Mike Matas, a former user interface designer at Nest. (This also includes staff taken from executive operations, talent development, production, and communications.)
There is a prevailing feeling that LoveFrom possesses talent on par with Apple, aiming to attract significant funding—up to $1 billion—by the end of this year. With the involvement of Sam Altman, their ambitions certainly reflect those of a tech giant.
“AI can act as an accelerant,” remarks Anjan Katta from Daylight. “When applied to a modern computer, it becomes exponentially more engaging, overstimulating, and mind-numbing. The core essence of computing is compromised, and AI can enhance its potential for damaging our mental well-being.”
“Yet, if we were to create entirely new computers, fundamentally reimagining them to align with our true intentions and incorporate AI, we might just rehabilitate computing as a tool that enhances our humanity instead of undermining it,” Katta continues. “I am thrilled by the opportunities Mr. Ive is exploring—not only by initiating with AI but also by beginning with a novel computing essence, envisioning it as a way to produce more humane machines.”
Apple employees seize every opportunity to share compelling narratives. The story that Jony Ive and LoveFrom convey through their various projects—the Moncler launch, partnerships with traditional brands, the animated Montgomery bear logo, and even the button book—is one that emphasizes care, craftsmanship, and responsibility. It represents an elegant defiance against typical tech culture. These distinctive traits are what command a reported annual fee of $200 million from clients.
These principles may play a crucial role in guiding and influencing various aspects of OpenAI’s initiatives in the coming years. This progress hinges on the ability to harmonize the strategies of “move fast and break things” with careful, thoughtful iteration.
