Caitlin Kalinowski, the former head of Meta’s augmented reality glasses team, recently announced that she is joining OpenAI to lead robotics and consumer hardware. Kalinowski, who has a background in hardware and previously worked at Apple, will be focusing on bringing AI into the physical world in her new role at OpenAI.
One of the exciting possibilities for Kalinowski at OpenAI is the opportunity to work with her former boss, Jony Ive, on a new AI hardware device. Ive, a former Apple executive, is collaborating with OpenAI on a product that aims to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone. This collaboration could lead to innovative new AI-powered hardware products in the future.
OpenAI has recently started hiring research engineers for a robotics team, signaling a renewed focus on hardware research. The company aims to help its partners incorporate its multimodal AI into their hardware, expanding the potential applications of AI technology. This move comes four years after OpenAI shifted its focus to software, highlighting the growing importance of AI in the hardware industry.
Several companies have already integrated OpenAI’s models into their hardware products, with Apple set to launch ChatGPT integration for the iPhone. Additionally, robotics company Figure uses OpenAI’s software for natural speech conversations in its humanoid robot. These partnerships demonstrate the increasing influence of AI technology in various industries, from consumer electronics to robotics.
The collaboration between Caitlin Kalinowski, Jony Ive, and OpenAI represents an exciting development in the AI hardware space. As technology continues to advance, the integration of AI into hardware products is set to transform the way we interact with technology and the physical world. With experts like Kalinowski and Ive at the helm, the future of AI-powered hardware looks promising and full of innovative possibilities.