OpenAI Expands into Robotics and Consumer Hardware with High-Profile Hire

OpenAI robotics aims to "bring AI into the physical world" | Digital Trends

OpenAI continued to accelerate its hardware and embodied AI ambitions on Tuesday, with the announcement that Caitlin Kalinowski, the now-former head of hardware at Oculus VR, will lead its robotics and consumer hardware team. "OpenAI and ChatGPT have already changed the world, improving how people get and interact with information and delivering meaningful benefits around the globe," Kalinowski wrote on a LinkedIn announcement. "AI is the most exciting engineering frontier in tech right now, and I could not be more excited to be part of this team." Recommended Videos Lest you think OpenAI's interests in AI hardware will emulate the failure of devices like the Humane Pin or Rabbit R1, Kalinowski clarified that this new position will be in the field of robotics, not necessarily developing AI gadgets. I'm delighted to share that I'm joining @OpenAI to lead robotics and consumer hardware! In my new role, I will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity. pic.twitter.com/rRDliUmO6y — Caitlin Kalinowski 🇺🇸 (@kalinowski007) November 4, 2024 "In my new role, I will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity," Kalinowski added in post on X (formerly Twitter). The idea of "consumer hardware" powered by OpenAI's large language model is certainly of interest. Kalinowski was previously the head of AR Glasses at Meta, including the recently unveiled landmark prototype, Orion, the first fully holographic AR glasses. OpenAI is also reportedly partnering with legendary product designer and former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive on an unknown upcoming AI hardware project. Details remain exceedingly thin a year after the partnership was first reported, beyond that it could revolve around "how generative AI made it possible to create a new computing device because the technology could do more for users than traditional software," per a New York Times report. Ive is supposedly working with a minuscule 10-member team, though he counts Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, both of whom worked with him in developing the iPhone, as co-workers. Ive himself is reportedly leading the hardware's design effort. It's no secret that OpenAI has ambitions that extend beyond chatbot software and large language models. The company made headlines earlier in the summer when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced an overly ambitious $7 trillion plan to build out a series of foundries to produce OpenAI's forthcoming AI chips. That idea was dismissed out of hand by TSMC, which referred to Altman as an unserious "Podcasting Bro" for even floating the idea. OpenAI, in late October, subsequently revealed that it will be partnering with Broadcom to build its house-designed chips while adding both AMD and Nvidia hardware as the company works to rapidly expand its compute infrastructure.

Former Meta AR Lead Joins OpenAI To Spearhead Robotics

Kalinowski joins OpenAI from Meta, where she led the development of its AR glasses. OpenAI isn't known for its hardware, but the AI company's latest hire, Caitlin Kalinowski, hints at a potential expansion into physical electronics. Building on her experience at Apple and Meta, where she led the design of MacBooks, virtual reality (VR) headsets, and augmented reality (AR) glasses, Kalinowski's new role will see her lead OpenAI's work on "robotics and consumer hardware," she said in a statement . OpenAI Robotics Although often overshadowed by ChatGPT and other more well-known AI products, OpenAI has a strong track record for robotics research. In 2017, the company made a breakthrough that allowed robotics software to learn a new skill through simulations and then apply the technique to a physical robot. More recently, it has teamed up with Figure, helping provide the AI brain to power its humanoid robots. Embodied AI In a LinkedIn post announcing her new job at OpenAI, Kalinowski said her goal would be "to help bring AI into the physical world." With an initial focus on robotics and partnerships, the role seems oriented toward projects like Figure that embed OpenAI's existing models within robots built by other companies. In addition to Figure, companies like Agility Robotics and Boston Dynamics have also begun integrating large language models (LLMs) into their machines. This trend is sometimes known as "embodied AI," which refers to placing AI systems within specific mechanical configurations that can act in the physical world. For example, LLMs enable robots to respond to verbal prompts. Meanwhile, robotic arms manipulate objects thanks to computer vision models that process camera data in real-time. While OpenAI's current focus is on partnerships and supporting the development of embodied AI more generally, the company could eventually develop its own hardware. OpenAI Reboots Robotics Research Although it disbanded its robotics research group in 2021, evidence of OpenAI's renewed interest in robotics has emerged this year. In March, the firm invested in Physical Intelligence, a robotics startup whose stated goal matches Kalinowski's comments on bringing AI into the physical world almost word-for-word. Then, in May, OpenAI rebooted its internal robotics department. According to media reports at the time, the company set about hiring researchers and engineers to develop new multimodal AI models for embedded applications. Of course, the notion of hardware-integrated multimodal AI models needn't be limited to robots. Given Kalinowski's background at Meta, where she oversaw the design of the firm's Orion Smart Glasses, deeper AR integration would also be a natural direction for OpenAI.

Ex-Meta Hardware Exec Joins OpenAI to Head Robotics and Consumer Tech

At Meta, Kalinowski oversaw the development of the Orion augmented reality glasses. Caitlin Kalinowski, a prominent figure in consumer hardware and robotics, has announced her move to OpenAI, where she will take on the role of leading robotics and consumer hardware. Sharing the news on X, she said, "I'm delighted to share that I'm joining OpenAI to lead robotics and consumer hardware!" In her new position, Kalinowski will initially concentrate on OpenAI's robotics projects and related partnerships. "I will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity," she said. Kalinowski brings a wealth of experience to OpenAI. At Meta, she oversaw the development of the Orion augmented reality glasses, which were recently showcased at Meta's annual Connect conference. Before her work on AR, Kalinowski led Meta's virtual reality hardware team for nine years and had previously worked at Apple, designing hardware for MacBooks. This move comes at a time when OpenAI is reportedly collaborating with Jony Ive's startup, LoveFrom, on a new AI hardware device. While details remain scarce, Ive has described the project as a product that uses AI to create a less socially disruptive computing experience than smartphones. OpenAI's renewed interest in robotics is evident in its recent hiring efforts for research engineers to work on incorporating multimodal AI into hardware. This development marks a return to hardware research for OpenAI, which had previously disbanded its robotics team in 2020 to focus on software development. OpenAI has a record of investing in robotics startups, with recent moves including an investment in Physical Intelligence. Earlier this year, it also partnered with Figure AI as part of a $675 million Series B funding round. In this partnership, OpenAI is committed to developing next-generation AI models for humanoid robots. In March 2023, OpenAI's Startup Fund led a $23.5 million investment round in 1X Technologies, a Norwegian company focused on creating humanoid robots.

OpenAI hires Meta's former Orion head to lead its robotics efforts

The former head of Meta's Orion augmented reality glasses initiative has joined OpenAI to lead the startup's robotics and consumer hardware efforts. Caitlin "CK" Kalinowski announced her new role Monday in a post on LinkedIn and X, writing, "In my new role, I will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity." OpenAI has gained popularity for its viral chatbot, ChatGPT, but the hiring underscores its apparent efforts to move into building and selling hardware. Former Apple exec Jony Ive, who helped design some of Apple's most iconic products from the iMac to the iPhone, has also partnered with OpenAI to create an AI device. The announcement came the same day as that of OpenAI's investment into Physical Intelligence, a robot startup based in San Francisco, which raised $400 million at a $2.4 billion post-money valuation. Other investors included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Thrive Capital, Lux Capital and Bond Capital. The startup focuses on "bringing general-purpose AI into the physical world," per its website, and it aims to do this by developing large-scale artificial intelligence models and algorithms to power robots. Before the new role at OpenAI, Kalinowski was a hardware executive at Meta for nearly two and a half years leading the company's creation of Orion, previously codenamed Project Nazare, which it billed as "the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made." Meta unveiled its prototype glasses in September. Before leading the Orion project, Kalinowski worked for more than nine years on virtual reality headsets at Meta-owned Oculus, and before that, nearly six years at Apple helping to design MacBooks, including Pro and Air models. Kalinowski's first day on the job at OpenAI is Tuesday, Nov. 5, per a LinkedIn post.

Meta's former hardware lead for Orion is joining OpenAI

Meta's former head of augmented reality glasses announced on Monday she is joining OpenAI to lead robotics and consumer hardware, according to a post on LinkedIn. OpenAI confirmed to TechCrunch that Caitlin Kalinowski will be joining the startup. Kalinowski is a hardware executive who led the development Meta's augmented reality hardware team since 2022. She oversaw the creation of Orion, the impressive augmented reality demo that Meta recently showed off at its annual Connect conference. Kalinowski also led the hardware team behind Meta's virtual reality goggles since 2013. Before that, she worked at Apple designing the hardware for MacBooks. "I'm delighted to share that I'm joining OpenAI to lead robotics and consumer hardware," said Kalinowski in her post. "In my new role, I will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity." Kalinowski will likely work with her old boss, former Apple executive Jony Ive, on a new AI hardware device that OpenAI and Ive's startup, LoveFrom, are building together. In September, Ive confirmed he was building a hardware product with OpenAI, describing it as "a product that uses A.I. to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone." Outside of that, OpenAI recently started hiring research engineers for a robotics team, which is aimed at helping OpenAI's partners incorporate its multimodal AI into their hardware. The reboot of OpenAI's robotics team comes roughly four years since the startup disbanded its hardware research, when it focused its efforts into software around 2020. In 2018, OpenAI built a robot hand that could learn how to grip objects all on its own. There are several companies already incorporating OpenAI's models into their hardware. The most obvious is Apple, who will launch their ChatGPT integration for the iPhone later this year. Another is the robotics company, Figure, whose humanoid 01 robot leverages OpenAI's software for natural speech conversations.

OpenAI launches consumer hardware division led by former Meta AR boss

Meta's former augmented reality hardware team lead, Caitlin Kalinowski, will head up a new consumer hardware team for artificial intelligence firm OpenAI. Kalinowski was the lead engineer on Meta's recently launched "Orion" augmented reality glasses and has previously worked as a designer and engineer for Apple. According to a report from Tech Crunch, she's spent the past decade working in the virtual reality and metaverse spaces. While her most recently launched project, Meta's Orion augmented reality glasses, were developed as part of her former company's ambitions in the metaverse space, it appears the OpenAI gig will be more oriented toward consumer robotics. Kalinowski, in a post on X.com, said she was "delighted" to share that she was joining OpenAI to "lead robotics and consumer hardware." It's unclear what her official title will be, but the division will be among the company's first endeavors in the hardware space. "In my new role, I will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity." AI hardware Artificial intelligence technology has experienced a boom in the wake of OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT in 2023. Despite the meteoric rise of firms in the technology sector dedicated to the development of AI hardware, such as Nvidia and TSMC, the market for AI-powered hardware and devices aimed at consumers has yet to experience its so-called iPhone moment. Related: OpenAI in talks with regulators to become a for-profit company: Report Previous attempts at bringing AI into the physical world, such as Humane's AI "pin" and various smart speaker devices from companies such as Google and Amazon, have captured consumer interest to varying degrees. But, so far, hardware featuring advanced AI systems such as OpenAI's ChatGPT has failed to reach mass market appeal. The company's new consumer hardware division may endeavor to speed up the process by licensing specific technologies to Big Tech -- rather than developing its own hardware and manufacturing in-house. This would leverage both the firm's AI models and its new hardware lead's experience working with large-scale hardware manufacturers including Meta and Apple.

Former Meta AR glasses hardware lead joins OpenAI to lead robotics

Caitlin Kalinowski oversaw the development of Meta's augmented reality glasses that were announced five years ago. The former hardware lead for Meta's augmented reality (AR) glasses has announced that she is joining the tech start-up of the moment, OpenAI. Caitlin Kalinowski, who also worked on Oculus VR and previously designed hardware for Apple's MacBooks, oversaw the creation of Orion, the AR glasses prototype that Meta showcased in September. In a post on LinkedIn yesterday (4 November), Kalinowksi said she will be leading the ChatGPT-creator's robotics and consumer hardware development. "OpenAI and ChatGPT have already changed the world, improving how people get and interact with information and delivering meaningful benefits around the globe," she said. "AI [artificial intelligence] is the most exciting engineering frontier in tech right now, and I could not be more excited to be part of this team." In her new role, Kalinowski said she will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships "to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity". The news regarding Kalinowski's appointment is the latest is a string of movement at OpenAI. Just last month, Microsoft's former vice-president of AI research left the Windows giant to join the start-up. Sebastian Bubeck, who is a former assistant professor at Princeton, had been with Microsoft for more than a decade. Meanwhile, a number of OpenAI's co-founders and leaders have left the start-up in recent months. In September, the company's chief technology officer Mira Murati, research VP Barret Zoph and chief research officer Bob McGrew all announced their departures from OpenAI - the day the company announced a structural shift from a not-for-profit to a for-profit company. While earlier this year, OpenAI co-founder John Schulman and former executive Jan Leike announced their departures to join Anthropic, a rival AI company. Co-founder Ilya Sutskever resigned from the company in May to start his own safety-focused AI company and Andrej Karpathy, another co-founder, left the company in February to work on founding an AI education start-up. Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

OpenAI Names Meta Augmented Reality Vet Caitlin Kalinowski to Head Robotics Project | PYMNTS.com

Kalinowski began leading Meta's AR glasses team in March 2022, guiding the development of its Orion prototype, according to her LinkedIn page. She was also in charge of the hardware team behind the tech giant's virtual reality goggles and helped design the hardware for Apple's MacBooks. "I'm delighted to share that I'm joining OpenAI to lead robotics and consumer hardware," Kalinowski wrote in the LinkedIn post. "...In my new role, I will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity." Several media outlets reported on the possibility of Kalinowski collaborating with her former Apple boss Jony Ive, who is developing an AI hardware device with OpenAI and his LoveFrom. OpenAI has begun hiring research engineers for a robotics team designed to help the company's partners incorporate its multimodal AI into their hardware, TechCrunch reported Monday. This comes about four years after the startup dissolved its hardware research to focus on software. OpenAI constructed a robot in 2018 that could learn how to grip objects. Meanwhile, this week saw robotics startup Physical Intelligence, an OpenAI-backed company, raise $400 million in an early-stage funding round, valuing the company at $2 billion. Physical Intelligence is developing software that would work on any robot, eliminating the need to create software for individual tasks. In other robotics news, PYMNTS wrote in August about the debate among experts on the impact of humanoid robots on the future of work and commerce. While companies are looking at these robots for tasks such as assembly and customer service, there is a range of opinions on their adoption rate and implications. These machines will be integrated gradually, with their rollout held back by technology development, workforce adaptation and customer acceptance, according to experts. "As Henry Ford said, 'Why is it that I always get a whole person when all I want is a pair of hands?' This sentiment applies here too," Ding Zhao, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, told PYMNTS at the time.

OpenAI hires new AI hardware lead from Meta -- are we about to get a ChatGPT device?

Caitlin Kalinowski, the former head of Meta's AR glasses team who is also an Apple alum, announced she will be joining OpenAI to lead its robotic and consumer hardware division. Kalinowski posted the announcement on X and people were immediately excited by the news, with speculations over whether this would lead to an OpenAI robot or a more consumer-friendly device such as a pair of smart glasses. "In my new role, I will initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity," Kalinowski said. The news comes off the back of the revelation that famed Apple designer Jony Ive is working with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on a new AI-first hardware device. It's unlikely the two are connected but it looks like we're going to see AI hardware front-and-center in 2025. Kalinowski boasts an impressive CV, having led the augmented reality hardware team at Meta's Reality Labs working on products such as the Orion smart glasses, Meta Quest 2, and the Oculus Rift. Before joining Meta, Kalinowski was a technical lead at Apple, taking part in the development of the Mac Pro and MacBook Air. When she's not busy building awesome hardware, Kalinowski is championing causes close to her heart including fighting gun violence and promoting diversity in the tech industry. Responding to one message about possible prototypes OpenAI is working on, Kalinowski replied that she hasn't officially entered the company yet and doesn't know if anything of the sort is already in the works. Apple's decorated designer Jony Ive is reportedly working on a new AI hardware device with his new boss Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO. Details of the consumer tech device are being kept under wraps but initial reports suggest that the outcome is meant to be less socially disruptive than the iPhone. Speculation points to smart glasses or another form of wearable technology, but given the lack of information, it could easily be an alternative to the Amazon Echo. While not much is known about OpenAI's hardware plans, at the start of the year we learned that, together with Microsoft, the AI company was in talks with the humanoid robotics startup Figure about potential investments. A few months later we saw a preview of a prototype humanoid that was powered by OpenAI sofware. The second iteration, Figure 02, is capable of performing everyday tasks and holding a natural language conversation thanks to GPT-4o and AI voice. On LinkedIn, Kalinowski highlighted that OpenAI and ChatGPT have changed the world, improving how people get and interact with information, delivering meaningful benefits around the globe. "AI is the most exciting engineering frontier in tech right now, and I could not be more excited to be part of this team," Kalinowski wrote.

OpenAI Hires Meta's Former Hardware Lead for AR Glasses

OpenAI has hired Caitlin Kalinowski, who previously led hardware for augmented reality glasses at Meta Platforms, to lead robotics and consumer hardware, she said in a post on X Monday. A spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed her hire. Kalinowski said she will "initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for