Design genius Jony Ive being unable to liberate humanity from the iPhone dependency he aided in instigating.
Jony Ive, the ex-Apple designer who brought us the iPhone and revolutionized tech, isn't entirely pleased. Now he's teaming up with OpenAI, the crew that sparked our AI obsession, to cook up some AI gizmo he claims will help him make amends for our screen fixation woes.
In an interview with Stripe CEO Patrick Collison, Ive address the contents of today's smartphone-crazy world, singling out social media as a greater societal issue, although he steered clear of elaborating on specific problems with these apps beyond the obvious (like extreme polarization and the mass spread of falsehoods and propaganda).
Ive worked at Apple for a whopping 27 years before calling it quits as the Chief Design Officer in 2019. He had a hand in some game-changers like the original iMac and was instrumental in creating the iPod and later the iPhone. "Some of the stuff I was heavily involved with," Ive noted, "I think there were some unforeseen ramifications that weren't all that peachy." Ive admitted that, despite good intentions, there was still a sense of responsibility lingering in his mind.
Not much is known about Ive's company, LoveFrom, or his AI-focused device. He's working alongside fellow designer Marc Newson, and they've got backing from a slew of big names. Still, it's tough not to harbor doubts. We took a dive down the AI gadget rabbit hole last year, and it wasn't pretty. Take the Humane AI Pin, for instance. It could tap into an AI chatbot with an internet connection, but, for the most part, its AI was lackluster compared to our smartphones. The company eventually sold all its assets to HP. There have been other misses, like the Rabbit R1, a device promising a similar level of AI prowess, but nowadays, it's more of an overpriced, AI-powered toy.
"What I find encouraging about AI is that it's rare to have a conversation about AI without appropriate concerns about safety," Ive told Collison.
There's a lot of debate about generative AI's impact on society and whether it can do all the fancy stuff Silicon Valley promises. The pace of AI's progress with its existing training methods might be slowing down thanks to a lack of new data to feed on. But that hasn't stopped it from causing headaches for several modern institutions. This week, New York Magazine exposed the rising trend of students using AI chatbots to pump out essays like there's no tomorrow. Users are getting crafty, with tricks like inserting typos in their copies or running their essays through multiple chatbots to fool their teachers.
It gets worse when you consider AI's impact on copyright and job security in creative fields. Ive's next invention needs to do more than offer another chatbot. If the Humane AI Pin taught us anything, it's that the Apple iPhone's design still holds up, despite any misgivings Ive might have about it.
Oh, and if Ive dislikes where social media has lead us, he should chat with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about the rumored social media platform he's reportedly developing.
- Jony Ive, the ex-Apple designer who brought us the iPhone and revolutionized tech, is teaming up with OpenAI, the company that sparked our AI obsession, to create an AI device to help alleviate the issues caused by screen fixation.
- Ive and fellow designer Marc Newson are working on an AI gadget, although little is known about it, and it's uncertain whether it will live up to expectations, considering past AI devices like the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 have fallen short.
- In an interview, Ive expressed concerns about the safety of AI, citing its potential impact on society, creative fields, job security, and copyright issues.
- The pace of AI's progress might be slowing down due to a lack of new data, but this hasn't stopped students from using AI chatbots to write essays, a trend revealed by New York Magazine this week.
- If Jony Ive is displeased with the direction of social media, he may find it interesting to discuss this with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who is reportedly developing a social media platform.
