Did you notice that the image above was created by artificial intelligence? It can be difficult to spot AI-generated images, video, audio and text at a time when technological advances are making them increasingly indistinguishable from much human-created content, leaving us open to manipulation by disinformation. But by knowing the current state of the AI technologies used to create misinformation, and the range of telltale signs that what you are looking at might be fake, you can help protect yourself from being taken in.

World leaders are concerned. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, misinformation and disinformation may “radically disrupt electoral processes in several economies over the next two years”, while easier access to AI tools “have already enabled an explosion in falsified information and so-called ‘synthetic’ content, from sophisticated voice cloning to counterfeit websites”.

The terms misinformation and disinformation both refer to false or inaccurate information, but disinformation is that which is deliberately intended to deceive or mislead.

“The issue with AI-powered disinformation is the scale, speed and ease with which campaigns can be launched,” says Hany Farid at the University of California, Berkeley. “These attacks will no longer take state-sponsored actors or well-financed organisations – a single individual with access to some modest computing power can create massive amounts of fake content.”

He says that generative AI (see glossary, below) is “polluting the entire information ecosystem, casting everything we read, see and hear into doubt”. He says his research suggests that, in many cases, AI-generated images and audio are “nearly indistinguishable from reality”.

However, research by Farid and others reveals that there are strategies you can follow to reduce your risk of falling for social media misinformation or disinformation created by AI.

How to spot fake AI images

Remember seeing a photo of Pope Francis wearing a puffer jacket? Such fake AI images have become more common as new tools based on diffusion models (see glossary, below) have allowed anyone to start churning out images from simple text prompts. One study by Nicholas Dufour at Google and his colleagues found a rapid increase in the proportion of AI-generated images in fact-checked misinformation claims from early 2023 onwards.

“Nowadays, media literacy requires AI literacy,” says Negar Kamali at Northwestern University in Illinois. In a 2024 study, she and her colleagues identified five different categories of errors in AI-generated images (outlined below) and provided guidance on how people can spot these for themselves. The good news is that their research suggests people are currently about 70 per cent accurate at detecting fake AI images of people. You can use their online image test to assess your own sleuthing skills.

5 common types of errors in AI-generated images:

1. Sociocultural implausibilities: Is the scene depicting rare, unusual or surprising behaviour for certain cultures or historical figures?
2. Anatomical implausibilities: Take a close look: are body parts like hands unusually shaped or sized? Do the eyes or mouths look strange? Have any body parts merged?
3. Stylistic artefacts: Does the image look unnatural, almost too perfect or stylistic? Does the background look odd or like it is missing something? Is the lighting strange or variable?
4. Functional implausibilities: Do any objects look bizarre or like they might not be real or work? For example, are buttons or belt buckles in weird places?
5. Violations of physics: Are shadows pointing in different directions? Are mirror reflections consistent with the world depicted within the image?

How to identify video deepfakes

AI technology known as generative adversarial networks (see glossary, below) has allowed tech-savvy individuals to create video deepfakes since 2014 – digitally manipulating existing videos of people to swap in different faces, create new facial expressions and insert new spoken audio aligned with matching lip-syncing. This has enabled a growing array of scammers, state-backed hackers and internet users to produce video deepfakes where celebrities such as Taylor Swift and ordinary people alike may find themselves unwillingly featured in non-consensual deepfake pornography, scams and political misinformation or disinformation.

The techniques for spotting AI fake images (see above) can be applied to suspect videos too. Additionally, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University in Illinois have compiled some tips for how to spot such deepfakes, but they have acknowledged that there is no fool-proof method that always works.

6 tips for spotting AI-generated video:

1. Mouth and lip movements: Are there moments when the video and audio aren’t completely synced?
2. Anatomical glitches: Does the face or body look weird or move unnaturally?
3. Face: Look for inconsistencies in face smoothness or wrinkles around the forehead and cheeks, along with facial moles.
4. Lighting: Is the lighting inconsistent? Do shadows behave as you would expect? Pay particular attention to a person’s eyes, eyebrows and glasses.
5. Hair: Does facial hair look weird or move in strange ways?
6. Blinking: Too much or too little blinking could be a sign of a deepfake.

A newer category of video deepfakes is based on diffusion models (see glossary, below) – the same AI technology behind many image generators – that can create completely AI-generated video clips based on text prompts. Companies are already testing and releasing commercial versions of AI video generators that could make it easy for anyone to do this without needing special technical knowledge. So far, the resulting videos tend to feature distorted faces or bizarre body movements.

“These AI-generated videos are probably easier for people to detect than images, because there is a lot of movement and there is a lot more opportunity for AI-generated artefacts and impossibilities,” says Kamali.

How to identify AI bots

Social media accounts controlled by computer bots have become common on many social media and messaging platforms. A growing number of these bots have also been taking advantage of generative AI technologies such as large language models (see glossary, below) since 2022. These make it both easy and cheap to churn out AI-written content through thousands of bots that is grammatically correct and convincingly customised to different situations.

It has become much easier “to customise these large language models for specific audiences with specific messages”, says Paul Brenner at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Brenner and his colleagues have found in their research that volunteers could only distinguish AI-powered bots from humans about 42 per cent of the time – despite the participants being told they were potentially interacting with bots. You can test your own bot detection skills here.

Some strategies can help identify less sophisticated AI bots, says Brenner.

5 ways to determine whether a social media account is an AI bot:

1. Emojis and hashtags: Excessive use of these can be a sign.
2. Uncommon phrasing, word choices or analogies: Unusual wording could indicate an AI bot.
3. Repetition and structure: Bots may use repeated wording that follows similar or rigid forms and they may overuse certain slang terms.
4. Ask questions: These can reveal a bot’s lack of knowledge about a topic – particularly when it comes to local places and situations.
5. Assume the worst: If a social media account isn’t a personal contact and their identity hasn’t been clearly validated or verified, it could well be an AI bot.

How to detect audio cloning and speech deepfakes

Voice cloning (see glossary, below) AI tools have made it easy to generate new spoken audio that can mimic practically anyone. This has led to the rise of audio deepfake scams that clone the voices of family members, company executives and political leaders such as US President Joe Biden. These can be much more difficult to identify compared with AI-generated videos or images.

“Voice cloning is particularly challenging to distinguish between real and fake because there aren’t visual components to support our brains in making that decision,” says Rachel Tobac, co-founder of SocialProof Security, a white-hat hacking organisation.

Detecting such AI audio deepfakes can be especially tricky when they are used in video and phone calls. But there are some common-sense steps you can follow to distinguish authentic humans from AI-generated voices.

4 steps for recognising if audio has been cloned or faked using AI:

1. Public figures: If the audio clip is of an elected official or celebrity, check if what they are saying is consistent with what has already been publicly reported or shared about their views and behaviour.
2. Look for inconsistencies: Compare the audio clip with previously authenticated video or audio clips that feature the same person’s voice. Are there any inconsistencies in the sound of their voice or their speech mannerisms?
3. Awkward silences: If you are listening to a phone call or voicemail and the speaker is taking unusually long pauses while speaking, they may be using AI-powered voice cloning technology.
4. Weird and wordy: Any robotic speech patterns or an unusually verbose manner of speaking could indicate that someone is using a combination of voice cloning to mimic a person’s voice and a large language model to generate the exact wording.

The technology will only get better

As it stands, there are no consistent rules that can always distinguish AI-generated content from authentic human content. AI models capable of generating text, images, video and audio will almost certainly continue to improve and they can often quickly produce authentic-seeming content without any obvious artefacts or mistakes. “Be politely paranoid and realise that AI has been manipulating and fabricating pictures, videos and audio fast – we’re talking completed in 30 seconds or less,” says Tobac. “This makes it easy for malicious individuals who are looking to trick folks to turn around AI-generated disinformation quickly, hitting social media within minutes of breaking news.”

While it is important to hone your eye for AI-generated false information and learn to ask more questions of what you read, see and hear, ultimately this won’t be enough to stop harm and the responsibility to detect fakes can’t fall fully on individuals. Farid is among researchers who say that government regulators must hold to account the largest tech companies – along with start-ups backed by prominent Silicon Valley investors – that have developed many of the tools that are flooding the internet with fake AI-generated content. “Technology is not neutral,” says Farid. “This line that the technology sector has sold us that somehow they don’t have to absorb liability where every other industry does, I simply reject it.”

Google just announced the third generation of Wear OS-powered devices since its return to the smartwatch domain. We say devices because this time around, there are two variants — a standard 41mm model and a larger 45mm version.

Apart from the additional bigger size option, the Pixel Watch 3 looks nearly identical to last year’s Pixel Watch 2. So, if you bought the latter in 2023, does upgrading make sense? Or, if you’ve been eyeing the Pixel Watch, you could get a discounted price on the previous generation, so should you buy the Pixel Watch 2 instead?

These are two very important questions. Let us answer them for you in the comparison below. 

Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: specs

Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: design and display

The Google Pixel Watch 3 comes in a circular outer body without many visible changes from last year’s model. The addition of a bigger 45mm is perhaps the biggest change in hardware we see this year. Despite the wider landscape, the 45mm is as thick as the smaller 41mm variant, which remains largely unchanged from last year. We found that the underside of the Pixel Watch 3 does pick up a lot of scratches very easily, so it’s worth keeping this in mind.

The watch has a rotating crown/button combo placed almost flush with the body, which is made of 100% recycled aluminum, and comes in clear silver, champagne gold, or matte black finishes paired to the same band colors last year — except for a new “Rose Quartz” that is limited to the smaller 41mm variant. The Bay Blue band option will no longer be an option in the default set but you can purchase other blue bands — besides chains, metal links, fabrics, and a whole range of options — separately.

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While the design lacks any radical changes over the previous generation, the display gets a major upgrade. Both the 41mm and the 45mm models get a newer variant of Google’s “Actua” displays with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. That’s twice as bright as the 1,000-nit display on the Pixel Watch 2. In addition to getting brighter, the display can also get as low as 1 nit on the always-on display (AOD), so it doesn’t scorch your eyes in the dark. 

The new display also gets variable refresh rate that reaches as low as 1Hz when needed. The primary objective here is to reduce battery consumption, especially with an AOD. 

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In addition, the displays feature slimmer bezels. Google says the 41mm’s display is now 10% bigger than last year despite any changes to the overall dimensions. Irrespective of their sizes, both displays get the same level of sharpness at 320 ppi (pixels per inch), so you shouldn’t have any trouble reading text, though interacting with the watch, and especially typing on a full-sized keyboard, is likely to be better on the 45mm variant. The bigger variant’s screen is 40% larger than that of the previous models, and this makes for a much better viewing experience, including seeing more information in notifications.

Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: hardware

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Other than the display, there aren’t any noticeable changes to the hardware on the Pixel Watch 3. Google doesn’t explicitly list any upgrades to the set of sensors on the Pixel Watch 3 over the last generation, and we can take this silence as a sign of no reasonable upgrades. 

That said, the Pixel Watch 2 already had a versatile set of sensors. In addition to the standard heart rate and blood-oxygen monitor sensors, the Pixel Watch 2 — and now the Watch 3 — features sensors to monitor skin temperature and ECG. Meanwhile, another dedicated sensor to measure electrical conductance in the skin can detect changes in mood and alert you in moments of stress. Though being reminded of your worries may not be useful for everyone, it may be helpful for people who suffer physiological conditions with stress as a sign of worsening symptoms.

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Inside, the Pixel Watch 3 still uses a Snapdragon Wear 5100 chip with an M33 co-processor for low-level tasks such as AOD. The two-chip configuration helps limit the load on the main chip, thereby reducing the battery consumption. It’s backed up by a 2GB RAM and 32GB of storage, the same as the previous generation.  

Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: fitness tracking and software

Although the Pixel Watch 3 lacks any notable changes to sensors for fitness tracking, Google advertises a wide range of improvements using AI. Google claims the improved training algorithms, part of the Fitbit Premium experience, now offer more precise recommendations and insight so you can adjust the intensity of your training. The Pixel Watch 3 will also give you a rundown of your condition at the start of the day with Fitbit’s Morning Brief functionality. This includes insights about your sleep quality, any overnight changes to your vitals, and the weather. 

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Additionally, you will now be able to create routines with the Pixel Watch 3, including a sequence of difference workouts and buffers in between for rest or cooldown. You can also desired targets for distance, heart rate, and similar metrics, and the Pixel Watch 3 ensures you keep up or slow down accordingly by using audio-based and haptic reminders. For running-related activities, the Pixel Watch 3 is gaining additional metrics such as vertical oscillation and duration of contact with the ground.  

Furthermore, the Pixel Watch 3 now shows a Readiness score with an improved AI while Cardio Load tells you the ideal amount of activity you should pursue on any specific day based on various metrics, including recovery from sleep and similar workouts in the past. 

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There are also new running recommendations powered by AI that use your Readiness Score, Target Load and running preference to provide a daily recommended run plan. As we found in our Pixel Watch 3 review, having your watch tell you precisely the kind of run to undertake is incredibly helpful in improving the variety of your running, making warm-ups more consistent, and ensuring you can enjoy running more. Like detailed sleep tracking, mindfulness sessions, guided workouts and recipes, this feature is locked behind Fitbit Premium — which costs $10 per month or $80 per year — although you will get six months for free when you buy the Pixel Watch 3.

The Pixel Watch 3 runs the newest version of Wear OS 5, although you may not notice many visual differences from the older Wear OS 4. In addition to the already existing Google Home controls on the Pixel Watch 2, the Watch 3 also gain controls to your TVs and dongles running Google TV, which presumably also includes the new Streamer box Google announced last week. In addition, you can also view and control your Nest cameras, including being able to talk to people through a Nest doorbell.

Since all of these features are available through software, Google might roll them out to the Pixel Watch 2 or even the older first-gen Watch when they receive the Wear OS 5.0 update. 

Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: battery and charging

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The smaller 41mm Pixel Watch 3 gets the same 309mAh battery as the older Pixel Watch 2, which can last over a day of usage with the AOD enabled. The larger 45mm variant comes with a bigger 420mAh battery adjusted for the higher power requirements of the larger display. For both of these sizes, Google claims a 24-hour battery life with an AOD and 36 hours with the battery saver. 

In our testing, we’ve found that the Pixel Watch 3 regularly exceeds its stated claims, a surprise given this rarely happens. The Pixel Watch 3 lasts around a day and a half between charges with the always-on-display enabled, multiple tracked workouts, sleep tracking overnight, and notifications being delivered all day. This is a definite improvement over the Pixel Watch 2.

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The Pixel Watch 3 comes the same magnetic puck with physical pogo pin connectors for charging. Without disclosing the exact charging speeds, Google says charging is 20% faster than last year. As per official claims, the 41mm variant charges 80% in 35 minutes (compared to 43 minutes earlier) while a full charge takes an hour. The larger variant will take slightly longer, owing to the larger battery. Google says the bigger Pixel Watch 3 can charge 80% in 50 minutes, while a full charge takes 80 minutes. 

Once again, we will test these claims in real-life scenarios during our review. 

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Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: price and availability

The Pixel Watch 3 is available now. The smaller 41mm Pixel Watch 3 is priced at $349 without cellular connectivity and $449 with it. The larger 45mm variant is available for $399 and $449 without and with LTE, respectively. 

In comparison, the Pixel Watch 2 launched originally for $350 and $400 for Wi-Fi only and cellular variants. However, over the course of the months since its launch, the prices have dipped, and even reached as low as $270 for the sale events such as the recent Amazon Prime Day in July. 

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Google Pixel Watch 3 vs. Pixel Watch 2: Should you upgrade?

The Pixel Watch 3 barely picks up any new features over the Watch 2, apart from a variant with a larger display. That means if you already own a Pixel Watch 2, upgrading makes little sense. 

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However, if you want to buy one and are deciding between the Pixel Watch 3 and the Watch 2, we recommend going for the former. In addition to a new version of Wear OS and improved health metrics and AI-based recommendations, the Pixel Watch 3 will also get an additional year of software support from Google. And if you haven’t bought the Pixel Watch previously due to its smaller size, the new 45mm variant solves that too. Other reasons to choose the Pixel Watch 3 over the Watch 2 include the slightly faster battery backup and the brighter screen. 

As we covered in the review, Google has undeniably refined the experience with the Pixel Watch 3. It fixes a few lingering issues from the second-gen model while adding useful features. The result is one of the best smartwatches you can buy right now.

According to a previous report, Google AI will process unemployment claims in Nevada. In the latest news, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shares his thoughts on the possibility of AI replacing entry-level programmers. According to the CEO, it’s not the most likely scenario. Sundar Pichai has launched the 2024-25 President’s Lecture Series at Carnegie Mellon.

He traveled to Carnegie Mellon University to tour research labs, talk with faculty and students about emerging technologies, and officially inaugurate the first President’s Lecture Series event of the new academic year. The company has already taken steps towards transparency in the Gen AI era.

Google’s CEO believes even entry-level programmers can view AI as a collaborative tool

According to Google’s CEO, AI should be viewed more as a collaborative tool instead of something to compete against. Upon being asked by students whether AI would replace entry-level programmers, Pichai started out by stating that “there’s a version of this question which can be asked across many disciplines.”

He added that “the most likely scenario in all of these things is, it will help people. It’ll both help existing programmers do their jobs, where most of their energy and time is going into, you know, higher aspects of the task. Rather than you know fixing a bug over and over again or something like that, right.”

The CEO says that he has already experienced the efficiency gains at Google. Citing the AI-powered code editor Cursor AI, he said, “It is just lowering the barriers for who can program, right, like how can you, more, in a natural language medium, interact. So, programming becomes more like a creative tool. I think that’s gonna enable and make it accessible to more people.”

For those unfamiliar, Cursor AI is an AI-powered code editor that helps developers write better code more efficiently. It offers a variety of features to help with coding, including intelligent code suggestions, code generation, and bug identification. There is a free Hobby tier, a Pro tier for $20 per month, and a Business tier for $40 per user per month.

Google is also prioritizing the use of clean energy for AI development

He not didn’t only talk about his views on the use of AI but also about the role of clean energy in its development. It involves powering massive data centers. He acknowledged the growing interest in small modular reactors (SMRs) for nuclear energy. Capital investment was reportedly flowing into developing alternate energy sources to cleanly power computing facilities.

He joined Google in 2004 and helped lead the development of Google Toolbar. Later he led the development of Google Chrome, which would become the world’s most popular internet browser. Back in August 2015, he became the CEO of Google, and in December 2019, the CEO of Alphabet.

Rumors emerged last year of a collaboration between former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, but the two have until now kept quiet about it. In a profile by that was published this weekend, though, Ive confirms his company LoveFrom is leading the design on an AI product being built with Altman. Also on board are Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, both of whom held big design roles at Apple.

There’s so far a team of about 10 employees involved with the project, based in a San Francisco office building that’s one of several properties Ive has purchased on a single city block, according to the Times. But we still don’t know much about the product they’re working on. The report describes Tan and Hankey wheeling chairs between the LoveFrom properties that were “topped by papers and cardboard boxes with the earliest ideas for a product that uses A.I. to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone.”

Since Ive left Apple in 2019 to start LoveFrom, the design firm has worked on and even , but we haven’t seen much in the way of hardware — just . While an AI product seems to be on the horizon, there’s currently no timeline for when it’ll make its debut.

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game will launch on March 25, 2025, a solid date but one that will make fans wait a wee bit longer.

The game is coming from Take-Two Interactive’s Private Division publishing label and Wētā Workshop, the creative studio known for their work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The duo had considered launching Tales of the Shire this fall, but now it is coming next year on the PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Netflix Games.

It’s a cozy game that invites you to fulfill your dreams of living the idyllic countryside life of the Shire. You can spend your days full of jovial meals with Hobbit friends, foraging for tasty morsels, and decorating your home. The announcement was made on Hobbit Day, September 22, which is celebrated as the birthdays of the characters Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. This title is the kind of game that gives mental peace to gamers and it’s increasingly popular as a category.

The companies also showed off a 90-minute preview that gives you a flavor for the quiet life of a Hobbit in J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Normally, The Lord of the Rings games and shows — including Amazon’s The Rings of Power Season Two — let you feast on serious combat with orcs and trolls. But this game has none of that — just the peaceful life of fishing, gathering, cooking and eating.

You can create your unique Hobbit avatar, choosing from a variety of very Hobbit-specific features to express yourself – including foot-hair styles and personality ‘moods’ that bring your character to life. Then you set out to make your home in sleepy Bywater and enjoy the simple pleasures of life in the Shire.

“Wētā Workshop has been trusted with J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth universe for more than 25 years, and over that time we have built up a deep understanding of the lore and a real love of Middle-earth that flows through our creative work across screen, collectibles and now, our cozy sims games,” said Richard Taylor, Co-founder and CEO at Wētā Workshop, in a statement. “Tales of the Shire allows us to inspire our talents in an entirely new medium and, ultimately, create this game for people just like us – fans of The Lord of the Rings. This is a beautiful way that players who are looking for a quieter, more peaceful time can discover this in a less explored corner of this universe.”

This small, growing community is home to a humorous cast of residents, who will request your aid in placing Bywater on the Shire’s map as an official village. To accomplish this goal, you will grow and nurture relationships with other characters. For most Hobbits, the best way to build bonds with others is through the comforts of a warm meal.

Much like in real life, cooking requires proper preparation, careful attention, and a “dash of this or that” for the perfect feast. Chop up home grown vegetables, sauté foraged mushrooms, perhaps add a tart pickle or a dollop of sweet jam to balance the dish. Every meal has various steps to complete to earn multiple stars, all in an effort to present a dish that satisfies and delights your guests.

As a newly established Hobbit, you’ll have access to the essentials — a bedroom, a lounge, and your pantry and kitchen to prepare meals for expected and unexpected guests. From these humble beginnings, you’ll soon be able to expand your space and supplies — fishing, foraging, gardening, and trading with your neighbors.

This will quickly enable you to establish a well-stocked pantry and upgraded tools for harvesting and cooking. The shops of Bywater are bustling with many vendors who are willing to sell you all kinds of ingredients, as well as decorative items for your Hobbit home.

You can meet humorous and interesting characters like Old Noakes, a cantankerous master angler. Not only can he give you tips on improving your own fishing skills, and help unlock secret fishing spots, he trades his daily catches. Nora and Fosco Burrows’ shop is stocked to the brim with adornments for your home as well as other charming items to fill out your wardrobe. There are many other Hobbits awaiting you in Bywater, so be sure to meet and invite them over for a second breakfast.

If you are not feeling up to the bustle of the market, wander through the fields and the forests to scavenge for seasonal items. Collect some juicy berries for a fresh summer tart or mushrooms to add to a harvest pie. Butterflies often flutter by and when closely followed can guide you to new discoveries. Beyond the rounded opening of your Hobbit home, a short venture reveals a bounty – your very own garden. This fully customizable area allows you to place multiple plots.

Want to place a daybed in your garden? Perhaps you’d like to create a summer table setting? The space is yours to create! Your garden offers a personal touch to your Hobbit life, and here you can grow a variety of fruits, vegetables, spices, and other harvestable ingredients. Just be sure to take proper care by watering and checking on them daily.

“The Lord of the Rings is an extraordinary world, beloved by hundreds of millions, and people have been clamoring for a game to bring the community, fellowship, and warmth of the Shire to life,” said Eric Correll, head of marketing at Private Division, in a statement. “In Tales of the Shire, Wētā Workshop has created the countryside village of Bywater like no one else could do, and we can’t wait for gamers to unwind, relax, and explore.”

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game is possible due to Middle-earth Enterprises having licensed the literary works of The Lord of the Rings series and providing Wētā Workshop Game Studio with the creative license.

Jony Ive, the legendary designer who left his full-time role at Apple five years ago, is working on a new startup with OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman.

The collaboration was first reported last year, and Ive confirmed it in a New York Times profile about what he’s been up to since leaving Apple.

If the startup has a name, Ive isn’t sharing it, but it apparently emerged from dinners with Altman last year where the pair discussed the potential of generative AI. With Ive’s firm LoveFrom leading the design, the profile describes the goal as building “a product that uses A.I. to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone.”

So perhaps Ive and Altman can succeed where other AI device companies like Humane have struggled.

Industrial designer Marc Newson, who’s working with Ive, said the product specifics and release timing haven’t been decided. Despite that vagueness, the startup is fundraising, with Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective and Ive himself contributing. It sounds like the company is aiming to raise up to $1 billion by the end of the year.