OpenAI’s New AI Device Aims for “Peace and Calm,” contrasts Sharply with iPhone‘s “Times Square” Distractions, Says CEO
SAN FRANCISCO – OpenAI is developing an AI-powered device intended to offer a drastically different user experience than today’s smartphones, CEO Sam Altman revealed at the 9th annual Emerson Collective Demo Day in San Francisco. Altman likened the forthcoming device to “sitting in the most gorgeous cabin by a lake and in the mountains,” emphasizing a focus on peace and calm, a stark contrast to the “flashing lights” and “noise” he associates with current technology.
altman positioned the iPhone as “the crowning achievement of consumer products” thus far, stating he defines his life as existing before and after its introduction.However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the distractions inherent in modern devices, describing the experience of using them as “walking through Times Square in New york” and being bombarded with “little indignities.” He believes current technologies prioritize “dopamine-chasing social apps” at the expense of user focus and tranquility.
The new OpenAI device, currently a prototype, is designed to filter facts and operate with contextual awareness, building 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 products that you want to touch…that you use almost without thought.”
Ive confirmed the device is expected to 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.
