Korean outlet reports Altman proposed co-developing a next-generation AI device with Samsung

According to Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper on November 11, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman proposed to Samsung Group executives at a discussion session that the two sides work closely together to develop a next-generation AI device. Altman believes such a device becomes the successor form factor to the smartphone, with AI progressively replacing traditional applications and proactively managing users' digital and physical lives.

The session was held on October 31 local time at Samsung's human resources development center in Yongin, Gyeonggi province, South Korea. Asked by a Samsung executive about what device would become an AI companion, Altman replied that it would be the next version of the smartphone. He said OpenAI wants to work closely with Samsung on a next-generation AI device that is not centered on traditional apps, but where AI proactively gathers information and manages physical and virtual life while minimizing interruption. He added that such devices will be able to sense and capture information from the physical world, while privacy protection and user over-reliance on AI must be managed by society as a whole. On AI glasses, Altman said such products could be very valuable for personal productivity, though their social experience is hard to evaluate.

Beyond hardware, Altman gave Samsung executives advice on enterprise AI transformation, stressing that companies should invest fully in AI rather than using it only as an efficiency aid for staff. His view was that if AI merely helps employees complete existing work, productivity might improve two to three times, while handing entire workflows to AI could raise productivity by as much as 100 times. Citing the mobile internet era as a warning, he noted that companies which transformed first survived while most that acted a year or two later were eliminated, and that without AI foundations staying competitive over the next three to five years will be hard. The session was aimed at sharpening the strategic judgment and execution of Samsung's AI transformation leaders, with about 50 executives from Samsung Electronics and its main affiliates in finance and biotechnology attending.