(Reuters) - OpenAI will acquire Jony Ive's startup io Products and bring the former Apple (AAPL.O) design chief on board as creative head to help build devices tailored for the generative artificial intelligence era, the ChatGPT maker said on Wednesday.

The deal was pegged at $6.5 billion, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Ive and LoveFrom, a design firm Ive started after leaving Apple, have been collaborating with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the company over the past two years, they said.

Ive was behind the design of Apple's hit products, including the iPhone and the iPod.