OpenAI forms a new hardware division with the io team, led by Jony Ive, to develop AI-native devices, possibly launching a voice-first product as early as 2026.

Sam Altman and Jony Ive aren’t just designing a new device. They’re inventing a new cognitive object built not for your hands, but for your mind.

OpenAI is set to acquire former Apple design chief Jony Ive’s hardware start-up io Products for about $6.5bn, according to people familiar with the matter. Sam Altman’s AI venture is one of a number of companies betting on alternatives to the smartphone as the predominant device to access AI.