Former Apple design chief Jony Ive, known for his work on the iPhone and other iconic products, will become the design lead for OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT AI.

OpenAI has acquired Ive’s design firm, io, in a deal valued at $6.5 billion. As part of the agreement, Ive will take on a broad role focused on the design of OpenAI’s products and services.

Ive departed Apple in 2019 and has recently expressed concerns about some of the unintended consequences of products he helped design.

While the specifics of Ive’s work with OpenAI are not fully disclosed, the partnership suggests a focus on enhancing the user experience of existing OpenAI software, including ChatGPT, Sora, and Dall-E.

Ive’s expertise in design is expected to refine the visual appeal of OpenAI’s software, which some consider to be less refined in its overall look compared to the elegant designs Ive oversaw at Apple.

Reports indicate that Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are interested in building AI-powered consumer hardware, though a smartphone is unlikely to be among their initial projects.

The focus is more likely to be on wearables like earbuds and smartwatches, possibly incorporating features like cameras and AI assistance for interacting with the environment.

Altman and Ive have discussed creating a new generation of AI-powered computers, hinting at the potential for future hardware developments.

The news is particularly notable given Apple’s recent integration of ChatGPT access into Apple Intelligence, but the company is still playing catch up to the industry in the realm of AI hardware/software integration.

OpenAI’s competitors, such as Google’s Gemini, are also rapidly advancing in the AI space, particularly in areas like smart glasses, which could increase the urgency for OpenAI’s hardware development.