Chirag Dekate, VP Analyst at Gartner, has revealed his views on OpenAI’s $6.5 billion deal for acquiring Jony Ive’s startup io Products.
As part of the acquisition, Jony Ive — best known as the chief designer behind the early Apple iPhones — will join OpenAI as the creative head. He will lead the development of new devices designed specifically for the generative AI era.
Gartner says worldwide GenAI spending is expected to total $644 billion in 2025, an increase of 76.4 percent from 2024.
Chirag Dekate said OpenAI’s lates move is a profound statement that AI’s next evolutionary leap is inextricably tied to physical AI experiences. The current paradigm of accessing AI primarily through existing screens and interfaces is a constraint. This venture signals a belief that to truly unlock AI’s potential, it requires its own distinct, thoughtfully designed platform, potentially rendering our current interaction models as interim solutions.
This partnership aims to do more than just put AI in a new box; it seeks to redefine human-AI interaction. With Ive’s deep creative and design responsibilities, the ambition is to craft a “new family of products” that are not merely smart, but intuitive, perhaps even prescient. The focus will likely be on moving beyond conscious interaction, towards more ambient, seamlessly integrated AI experiences. This isn’t about smarter phones; it’s about questioning if the phone, as we know it, is even the right platforms for truly pervasive AI.
This conviction isn’t OpenAI’s alone. It resonates across the industry, from Google’s deep investments in Gemini-powered robotics and new XR explorations, to Nvidia’s push into physical AI, Meta’s persistent vision for intelligent eyewear, and Tesla’s bold robotics initiatives. Collectively, these aren’t disparate projects but converging evidence of a foundational shift: the active construction of a new abstraction layer where intelligent software and bespoke hardware are co-developed. This emerging platform is poised to make AI a tangible, pervasive force.
The ultimate implication? This new AI-native hardware platform will inevitably challenge established tech ecosystems and unlock novel value frontiers. We anticipate the rise of entirely new user experiences, the formation of distinct digital and physical ecosystems around these devices, and the reshaping of economic models. The question isn’t just what these new AI devices will do, but how they will fundamentally alter our relationship with technology and the very fabric of our digital and physical lives, Chirag Dekate said.
