The former head of Meta's Orion augmented reality glasses project, Caitlin "CK" Kalinowski, has joined OpenAI to lead the startup's robotics and consumer hardware projects. Kalinowski announced her new role, highlighting her initial focus on advancing OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into real-world applications for societal benefits.
While OpenAI is widely recognized for its popular ChatGPT chatbot, this new appointment signifies the company's clear effort to venture into hardware manufacturing and sales. In a related development, former Apple executive Jony Ive is collaborating with OpenAI on an AI device, drawing from his experience designing iconic Apple products like the iMac and iPhone.
Coinciding with Kalinowski's hiring, OpenAI announced an investment in San Francisco-based robotics startup Physical Intelligence. The company secured $400 million in funding, achieving a post-investment valuation of $2.4 billion. Notable investors include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Thrive Capital, Lux Capital, and Bond Capital.
Physical Intelligence focuses on bringing general AI into the real world by developing large-scale AI models and algorithms to power robotics. Before joining OpenAI, Kalinowski was at Meta for nearly two and a half years as a hardware chief, leading the development of the Orion glasses, considered "the most advanced augmented reality glasses ever." Prior to this, she spent over nine years working on virtual reality headsets at Oculus, a subsidiary of Meta, and nearly six years at Apple, designing Macbook models, including Pro and Air.
Her official start date at OpenAI was November 5th.
