Meta's former Orion head joins OpenAI to lead its robotics initiatives.

• The former leader of Meta's augmented reality glasses initiative has joined OpenAI to lead the startup's robotics and consumer hardware efforts.
• Caitlin "CK" Kalinowski announced her new role on Monday, stating that she will initially concentrate on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help integrate AI into the physical world.
• The announcement of OpenAI's investment into Physical Intelligence, a robot startup in San Francisco, was made on the same day.

The former leader 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 on Monday in a LinkedIn post, stating that she will initially concentrate on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help integrate AI into the physical world and harness its potential for humanity.

OpenAI has garnered attention for its successful chatbot, ChatGPT, but its recent hiring suggests a shift towards hardware development and sales. Additionally, former Apple executive Jony Ive has collaborated with OpenAI to create an AI device.

The announcement of OpenAI's investment into Physical Intelligence, a robot startup in San Francisco, was made on the same day. The startup raised $400 million at a $2.4 billion post-money valuation. Other investors included Jeff Bezos, Thrive Capital, Lux Capital, and Bond Capital.

The startup aims to bring general-purpose AI into the physical world by developing large-scale artificial intelligence models and algorithms to power robots, as stated on its website.

Kalinowski was a hardware executive at Meta for nearly two and a half years, where he led the creation of Orion, previously known as Project Nazare, which Meta claimed to be "the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made." Meta unveiled its prototype glasses in September.

Kalinowski worked for more than nine years on virtual reality headsets at Meta-owned Oculus and nearly six years at Apple, where he helped design MacBooks, including Pro and Air models, before leading the Orion project.

Tuesday, Nov. 5 marks Kalinowski's first day on the job at OpenAI, as stated in a LinkedIn post.