@techcrunch.com
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OpenAI is making a bold move into hardware development with the acquisition of Jony Ive's startup, IO, in a deal valued at approximately $6.5 billion in stock. This strategic acquisition signals OpenAI's ambition to unify software, hardware, and data into a seamlessly integrated AI ecosystem. The company aims to move beyond its current role as a backend software provider, powering AI tools for other platforms, and instead, create a comprehensive, end-to-end AI experience. With this acquisition, around 55 engineers and designers, many formerly of Apple, will join OpenAI, while Ive's design firm, LoveFrom, will remain independent and oversee the development of OpenAI's initial hardware products.
This acquisition will allow OpenAI to have control over the whole interaction flow. It will no longer have to embed itself into someone else’s interface but design the experience end-to-end. It is about building a new kind of device, one built from the ground up around AI and something entirely reimagined for a world where AI is the starting point, not the add-on. OpenAI envisions the potential benefits of owning the hardware, including defining how AI behaves in context, gathering crucial user data, and exploring new avenues for monetization. By owning the device, OpenAI gains first-party access to behavioral signals like tone, timing, follow-ups, and habits across multiple sessions, data that is crucial for training models that are more adaptive, nuanced, and personalized. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the goal is to create AI devices so compelling that they become as commonplace as laptops or smartphones. References :
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Shannon Carroll@Quartz
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OpenAI is making a significant push into the hardware sector by acquiring io, the design startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, in a $6.5 billion deal. This move signifies OpenAI's ambition to create a new generation of AI-powered devices that move beyond current limitations of smartphones and laptops. The collaboration has been ongoing behind the scenes since 2023, with Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman aiming to craft products that make AI more accessible and intuitive. The acquisition includes bringing over 50 engineers and designers from io, including ex-Apple veterans responsible for iconic designs like the iPhone and iPad.
OpenAI and Ive's vision is to revolutionize how we interact with technology. The goal is to develop AI-native devices that seamlessly blend into daily life and enhance AI experiences. Specific product details remain under wraps, but the initial device is rumored to be a pocket-sized gadget without a screen, capable of understanding its user's surroundings and activities. It's designed to complement existing devices like laptops and phones, potentially becoming a "third core device." Altman has even set a target of shipping 100 million units, potentially hitting that mark faster than any other company shipping something new before. This acquisition marks a strategic shift for OpenAI, venturing into consumer-facing products and directly competing with tech giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft. Jony Ive's design firm, LoveFrom, will take charge of creative work across OpenAI, influencing not only hardware but also the look and feel of all products. Peter Welinder, an early OpenAI executive, will lead the io division, overseeing the development of this new AI product line. AI experts are weighing in on the merger and how the new devices could reshape how we interact with technology. References :
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@the-decoder.com
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OpenAI is expanding its global reach through strategic partnerships with governments and the introduction of advanced model customization tools. The organization has launched the "OpenAI for Countries" program, an initiative designed to collaborate with governments worldwide on building robust AI infrastructure. This program aims to assist nations in setting up data centers and adapting OpenAI's products to meet local language and specific needs. OpenAI envisions this initiative as part of a broader global strategy to foster cooperation and advance AI capabilities on an international scale.
This expansion also includes technological advancements, with OpenAI releasing Reinforcement Fine-Tuning (RFT) for its o4-mini reasoning model. RFT enables enterprises to fine-tune their own versions of the model using reinforcement learning, tailoring it to their unique data and operational requirements. This allows developers to customize the model to better fit their needs using OpenAI’s platform dashboard, tweaking it for internal terminology, goals, processes and more. Once deployed, if an employee or leader at the company wants to use it through a custom internal chatbot orcustom OpenAI GPTto pull up private, proprietary company knowledge, answer specific questions about company products and policies, or generate new communications and collateral in the company’s voice, they can do so more easily with their RFT version of the model. The "OpenAI for Countries" program is slated to begin with ten international projects, supported by funding from both OpenAI and participating governments. Chris Lehane, OpenAI's vice president of global policy, indicated that the program was inspired by the AI Action Summit in Paris, where several countries expressed interest in establishing their own "Stargate"-style projects. Moreover, the release of RFT on o4-mini signifies a major step forward in custom model optimization, offering developers a powerful new technique for tailoring foundation models to specialized tasks. This allows for fine-grained control over how models improve, by defining custom objectives and reward functions. References :
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