OpenAI’s New AI Device Aims forโ “Peace โand Calm,”โข contrasts Sharply with iPhone‘s “Times Square”โฃ Distractions, Says CEO
SAN FRANCISCO – OpenAI is developing an AI-powered โขdevice intended to offer aโข drastically different user experience than today’s smartphones, CEO โฃSam Altman revealed at the 9th annual โฃEmerson Collective Demo Day in San Francisco. โAltman likened the โforthcoming device to “sitting in the most gorgeous cabin by a lake and inโข the mountains,” emphasizing a focus on peace โคand calm, a stark contrast to the “flashing lights” and “noise” he associates with current technology.
altman positioned the iPhone as “the crowningโ achievement of consumer products” thus far, stating he defines his lifeโฃ as existing โฃbefore and after its introduction.However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the โคdistractionsโ inherent in modern devices, describing the experience of using them as “walking through Times โSquare in โคNew york” and being bombarded with “little indignities.” He believes currentโ technologies prioritize “dopamine-chasing social apps” at the expense of user focus and tranquility.
The new โOpenAI device, currently a prototype, is designed to filter facts and operate with contextual awareness, โbuilding user trust over time. “You trust it over time,and it does have just this astonishing contextual awareness of your whole life,” Altman said.
Jony Ive, also involved in the project, echoed this sentiment, expressing a preference for “solutions that teeter on appearing almost naive in their simplicity” and “incredibly intelligent, sophisticated productsโ that you want to touchโฆthat you use almost without thought.”
Ive confirmed the device is expected โขto be available in under two years.
The Emerson Collective Demo Day took place in San Francisco,with a related Techcrunch event scheduled for October 13-15,2026.

