OpenAI CFO Says Company’s Device Will Be ‘Multimodal’ and ‘Provocative’

OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said Wednesday (Nov. 5) that the company is working on a multimodal device and that the firm wants a federal guarantee that would lower the cost of financing investments in artificial intelligence chips.

Friar shared these news items while speaking at the Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live event in California. The WSJ posted video clips of her remarks.

Asked about the device OpenAI is developing with Jony Ive, Friar said that she could not share what it looks like or feels like. She added that, historically, every new era of compute has brought with it a new substrate, such as PCs or mobile phones.

Friar added that in “a multimodal world for AI,” devices would include text, sound and sight, and that she is looking forward to a device that doesn’t require looking at a screen.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to see a lot more of that multimodality come through this next substrate,” Friar said. “And I don’t know if we’ve got the perfect first substrate, but I think we’re going to try to be provocative on where this world will go.”

OpenAI acquired Ive’s AI device startup in May. Ive is the former chief design officer at Apple. When announcing the acquisition, Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said a new generation of devices were in order for the AI era.

In October, it was reported that Ive and OpenAI are developing a palm-sized, screenless device that can take audio and visual cues from the physical environment and respond to users’ requests.

Friar also said Wednesday at the WSJ event that a federal guarantee could drop the cost of financing for chip investment.

“I think the U.S. government in particular has been incredibly forward-leaning, has really understood that AI is almost a national strategic asset and that we really need to be thoughtful when we think about competition with, for example, China,” Friar said. “Are we doing all the right things to grow our AI ecosystem as fast as possible?”

Friar added that she had nothing to announce as far as whether such a guarantee is in the works.

For all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily AI Newsletter.