OpenAI and Apple design legend Johnny Ive are building something big. Will it replace your iPhone?
The next iPhone? Nope. This one has no screen, no apps, no keyboard
ChatGPT
I always want you to be tech ahead. That’s why I want you to think about what if your next device didn’t have a screen? Or apps? Or a keyboard?
That’s exactly why Sam Altman (OpenAI’s CEO) and Jony Ive (the former Apple design genius behind the iPhone) are working on a new kind of AI gadget that could completely change the way we interact with technology.
Your AI sidekick
This new device, still under wraps and code-named “IO,” isn’t a phone replacement. It’s something completely new. Altman says he believes they’ll sell 100 million of them. And I think he’s right.
It won’t show you TikToks or open Instagram. Instead, it listens, learns and helps. Think of it like an AI brain in your pocket. You talk to it, and it talks back, giving you useful answers, reminders, ideas, even directions, all without pulling out a screen or typing a single word.
It learns from you. That’s right: you, in your unfiltered glory, yelling, “Alexa, lower volume!” while trying to microwave coffee for the third time.
‘Where’s my kid’s soccer game?’
Imagine saying that out loud and your AI assistant tells you the location, pulls up the route and reminds you to pick up snacks on the way, all while you’re brushing your teeth or grabbing your keys. That’s the promise of what’s coming: zero friction tech that helps without overwhelming.
I love my devices, but I don’t want to be ruled by them. This could be a new kind of relationship with tech, more human, less addictive.
A full-circle moment
It’s poetic, really. Jony Ive helped design the very screen-based world we now live in: the iPhone, iPad, iMac. Now he’s helping to build the thing that might free us from those screens. That’s huge.
Will this device change everything overnight? Probably not. Will it make you question why you ever needed five apps to order a sandwich? Yes.
Make a movie in a minute
OpenAI Sora
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, AI is changing everything. And now it’s coming for video. This is the future, and it’s so fun to play around with these new tools.
Forget editing software, green screens or even a camera. Now your keyboard is the director, the producer and creative partner. All you need to do is type what you want to see, and AI will turn it into a slick, high-def video.
Apple’s under pressure: Jony Ive, aka the guy who helped design the iPhone, is working with OpenAI to build new hardware (paywall link). No word yet on what the first device will be, but leaks say it could be something “screen-free.” Hey, maybe Apple will surprise us with something incredibly new at WWDC on June 9. I doubt it.
Around 70%
Of people are polite to AI. The kicker? All those “pleases” and “thank yous” are adding up and costing OpenAI tens of millions of dollars in electricity. CEO Sam Altman doesn’t think it’s a bad thing, though. Why? Just in case there’s an AI uprising someday. Plus, being nice can get you better responses.
📝 Hey, teachers: Check out Khan Academy’s AI tutor, Khanmigo. It’s free for teachers and runs on OpenAI’s tech. Use it to whip up lesson plans, answer your students’ questions and flag any AI-generated work. Fun fact: “Conmigo” means “with me” in Spanish. Teachers finally get an assistant that isn’t a coffee machine and a deep sigh.
📱 ChatGPT is getting physical: OpenAI just dropped $6.4 billion (in stock, because vibes) to buy Jony Ive’s startup, io, the AI device shop he built with ex-Apple folks. Ive’s crew is now officially part of OpenAI, blending brains and beauty to make AI hardware less “black box” and more “please actually use me.”
Scanning your eyeballs
Would you trade a scan of your eye for free crypto? That’s what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wants to do. Here’s why.
🧠 ChatGPT can “think with images”: OpenAI’s latest models, o3 and o4-mini, take ChatGPT’s visual reasoning to unsettlingly sharp levels. They can describe what’s in a photo, zoom, crop and enhance images. “Thinking with images” sounds cool until your AI starts judging your handwriting and that stain on your shirt.
🧠 OpenAI’s new models: The recently released o3 and o4-mini aren’t your typical chatbots. They’re trained to think deeply and come up with their own experiments. So, perfect for science, tech, engineering and math. The kicker? It might cost $20,000 a month!
🧠 How Google keeps its AI talent: DeepMind employees are apparently locked into strict noncompete agreements that bar them from joining rivals like OpenAI for up to a year. Google might even pay you not to work. Nice, right? Until you realize AI years are like dog years. Sit out too long, and you’re obsolete.
$200 a month
What you’ll pay for Anthropic’s new Claude “Max” subscription tier. It’s made for people who use Claude a lot and run into rate limits. You’ll get up to 20x more usage than the Pro plan, plus early access to new features. And yeah, the timing’s no coincidence. It’s clearly a move to compete with OpenAI’s $200/month tier.
🤖 OpenAI is retiring GPT-4 from ChatGPT: Slated to be fully replaced by April 30 by the current default model, GPT-4o, because, well, 4o is just better. It’s stronger at writing, coding, problem-solving and conversational flow. Farewell, GPT-4. We’ll remember your weird poem phase. More models are on the way; we’ll soon see a family of GPT-4.1s and a new o3 “reasoning” bot.
ChatGPT can make fake receipts: Yes, like real store or restaurant receipts. From scratch, the math might be off, but if you ask it to recreate an existing one first and tweak the prices of items, it works. What does OpenAI say? They’re not worried, since every image includes a “C2PA metadata” tag showing it was made by AI. Like that’s hard to remove.
Have some free time today? Check out OpenAI’s Academy. It’s loaded with guides, live streams, videos and in-person events. You’ll find everything from how to build custom GPTs to crafting a storyboard. It’s free if you create an account. Check it out. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: AI won’t replace your job. Someone with AI skills will.
Get the $200/month ChatGPT subscription for free: Just for my Windows friends. Open the Copilot app on Windows or go to copilot.microsoft.com and sign in with your Microsoft account. Make sure Think Deeper is toggled on to use OpenAI’s fancy-schmancy new o1 model. It “thinks” for about 30 seconds before spitting out an answer.
Deep dive: OpenAI’s Deep research is ready to go for Plus, Team, Enterprise and Edu subscribers. You’ll get 10 deep research queries per month that pulled detailed info from multiple sources. Try it: Select Deep research in the Composer.
I own a real green screen: The YouTube Shorts AI, Veo 2, whips up clips with just a few words. Like OpenAI’s Sora, type what you want and the AI does the rest. You can specify a style, lens or cinematic effect. Want to try it yourself? Open YouTube, go to Shorts camera > Green Screen > and type your prompt.