OpenAI’s first consumer hardware device could be a screen-free smart speaker designed around ChatGPT, according to a new report.
Bloomberg reported that the product is still in development and is being described internally as a humanlike AI companion for the home. The device is expected to offer ChatGPT access, smart home controls, media playback, messaging, and other home AI services.
The reported device is expected to be portable and screen-free.
It may also include a camera and sensors to understand the user’s surroundings and provide more context-aware responses. Unlike normal smart speakers, the device is also said to include mechanical elements that can move on their own, giving it a more lifelike presence.
OpenAI has not officially announced the product, its design, launch date, or price.
The device is reportedly being designed as something different from a traditional smart speaker.
Instead of simply responding to voice commands, OpenAI reportedly wants the product to have a personality and learn about its owner over time. The aim is to make it feel more like a physical version of ChatGPT than a standard voice assistant.
The device could draw on parts of a user’s digital life, including emails, to provide more personalised help. That would make privacy and permission controls especially important if the product eventually launches.
OpenAI’s hardware work is being supported by io, the AI device startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
OpenAI announced last year that the io Products team had merged with the company, while Ive and his design firm LoveFrom took on major creative and design responsibilities across OpenAI.
The company said at the time that the new team would work more closely with OpenAI’s research, engineering, and product teams in San Francisco.
Several former Apple engineers involved in products such as the iPhone and Mac are also contributing to OpenAI’s hardware plans.
The hardware push comes as OpenAI faces a trade-secret lawsuit from Apple.
Apple has sued OpenAI and two former employees, accusing them of misappropriating confidential hardware information to benefit OpenAI’s consumer-device work. OpenAI has denied wrongdoing.
OpenAI believes its upcoming device is significantly different from anything Apple currently sells and is unlikely to violate Apple’s trade secrets. However, the lawsuit could still create uncertainty around the company’s hardware timeline.
OpenAI is not the only company trying to build a new AI-first device category.
Hark, an AI hardware startup founded by Brett Adcock, raised $700 million in a Series A round at a $6 billion valuation in May. The company says it is building personalised AI systems and next-generation hardware designed to act as a universal interface between humans and machines.
The broader market remains largely unproven. Many AI hardware companies have attracted major funding before showing final products or proving that consumers want a dedicated AI device.
For now, OpenAI’s smart speaker remains an unannounced product under development. If it reaches the market, it could become the company’s first serious attempt to turn ChatGPT from a software service into a physical device for the home.
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