By Tim DeSilva
In May, Sam Altman (OpenAI) brought Jony Ive (ex-Apple) into the fold through a $6B acquisition that will lead the creative vision for OpenAI's push into physical devices.
That news felt bigger than a new product design collaboration. It felt inevitable.
Jony made Apple feel like magic.
OpenAI made intelligence feel accessible.
Now, almost exactly 20 years after the debut of the iPhone – a device that changed the course of how we engage with technology – this is a chance to make technology's physical form feel meaningful again.
Early signs hint at a device without a screen (or with far less reliance on one) driven by voice communication, possibly worn around the neck, and we'd have to assume some form of spatial awareness.
How will it work for the deaf and hard of hearing? That's a fundamental design question this type of product won't be able to ignore. But it's pointing toward a new experience where the brand, the product design, and the UX will likely be a make-or-break.
That's the bet. And it's not a small one.
Many will say NO. Another thing to learn. To charge. To get lost in a jacket pocket. To explain to grandma. To accidentally drop in the pool.
Hardware is no easy feat to bring to market, and OpenAI doesn't just want another app. They're exploring what a whole new category of device could be.
It's not a phone. Not a speaker. Not a headset. It's something new. Something in between.
There will be anticipation, excitement, and plenty of murmur. There will be wonder and hesitation, and there will be fright and privacy concerns for many.
But if they succeed, it could redefine how we experience intelligence daily.
Humans have long understood the power of physical form. We're looking at a potential leap from the screens we know now to a new device that embodies AI.
If this is our future reality, design will play a major role from every angle. Design will shape the product and likely an entirely new user experience. Every detail will receive careful consideration (as Jony will surely share with us in retrospect):
Are we leaving anything out?
With the invisibility of voice, the brand will need to have a unique physical or emotional feel, if not both. It could be new, subtle tactile cues we've never experienced before. It could be how it rests against the body, or responds through subtle physical feedback. Or how it invokes warmth, or understanding. Or even power.
If anything becomes engrained in our everyday lives, it happens through desire. First, we want it. Then we need it. Great brands know this.
The products that reach critical mass fulfill the perfect combination of Necessity and Desire.
In this case, that initial desire will benefit from building on elements we already know and love while adding enough uniqueness, reliability, and comfort to the lives of many. Possibly billions.
Given the timeline since the last significant evolution in tech hardware (that would be the iPhone announcement in January 2007), the possibility is very real.
We've already accepted mediocre tech that misunderstands our commands while openly mining our private conversations only to recommend buying something we casually mentioned to a friend five minutes ago.
That's a serious trade-off of privacy we've tolerated for quite some time.
So what happens when our assistant gets 1000x smarter? Will we be any less scared that it won't betray us or pretend not to force-feed us ads when we talk in our sleep?
This new venture has a chance to make it right. To prove it's possible, and to regain trust.
Trust starts long before the product hits the market, and this will take more than great storytelling. A shift like this is going to take transparency and restraint.
That's not something we're used to seeing from tech giants.
Promises will need to be made and kept. It will need to earn its place not just in the market but in our homes, our routines, and our lives.
The entire 12 to 18-month rollout has to feel just right.
And if it makes it that far, THEN it will be up to the form and function of the device to seal the deal.
We know when something's well-made. Close the door of a Ferrari or a 97 Honda Civic, and guess which one feels elevated. Even if we haven't experienced the scenario, imagining and understanding that difference isn't hard.
Because "Premium" has a feel. And "Cheap" certainly does, too (we're looking at you, trade show swag).
But thoughtful? Emotional? That's different.
It doesn't have to be expensive, but when something just works, it feels natural. Intentional. Designed to belong.
Quality can present itself in all these ways, from form and function to mood and emotion. So, if quality has a feeling, can it lead to Trust?
THIS is the opportunity.
To reach a state of trust in an AI device, it has to feel just as intentional.
It has to feel welcoming, not overwhelming.
Approachable, not alien.
Personal, not invasive.
Helpful, not transactional (unless by choice).
And when it surprises us, it should feel like delight – not manipulation. The kind of delight that makes us smile and think: "I need this. Right now."
If society is going to embrace a new kind of AI device that feels like it belongs with us every day, Object Trust will be a leading factor of design.
That invisible layer can create an intuitively trusted relationship between us and the experience the object provides.
For a product that is comparably hyper-intelligent, it can't feel intrusive. Or harmful. Or go outside the bounds of reasonable expectation.
That's a lot to live up to.
If anyone can set a new standard for the shape intelligence takes, it might be this team, who once made a glass rectangle feel like an absolute necessity. And who, many years later, gave us the superpower to learn and utilize the world's collective knowledge. Instantly.
The tech is already at our fingertips. And perhaps soon to be around our necks.
The challenge now?
Welcoming it into our most personal spaces.
We won't remember the specs. We'll remember the feeling. How it looks. How it sounds. And whether we trust it.
Trust won't be a feature; it'll shape the entirety of one of the smartest personal devices designed to date.
And if it works, what we accomplish with it may just shape our future.
