Bloomberg reported that OpenAI's first notable hardware effort may be a mobile, screenless smart speaker equipped with integrated AI capabilities that can sync with ChatGPT. According to multiple anonymous sources cited by the outlet, the device is still under development.
About the device
- The report says the product would be screen-free and is internally pitched as a “humanlike AI companion that lives in the home.”
- Sources told Bloomberg the speaker would have a "personality" and could proactively learn about its owner over time to provide more personalized service. The machine would reportedly have access to parts of a user’s digital life, including emails.
- The device is also described as having “mechanical elements that can move on their own,” with the intention that it should “feel like a companion and become a physical manifestation of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.”
Development and personnel
Bloomberg writes that many former Apple engineers who helped build products such as the iPhone and Mac contributed to the project. That involvement suggests OpenAI may be seeking to establish a hardware product line.
Legal and industry context
The hardware effort comes as OpenAI faces legal pressure: Apple sued OpenAI last week, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets. Apple said the allegations in the suit are “the tip of the iceberg” and that additional misconduct could surface during discovery. OpenAI has denied wrongdoing.
Citing anonymous sources, Bloomberg reports that OpenAI believes the new product "veers significantly from anything Apple has on the market today" and considers it unlikely to infringe Apple trade secrets.
Broader market dynamics
OpenAI’s push into consumer hardware aligns with growing investor interest in AI devices. For example, Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised an oversubscribed $700 million Series A in May at a $6 billion valuation to build what it calls “personal intelligence”—proprietary AI models paired with custom hardware designed to act as a universal interface between humans and machines.
Bloomberg notes that OpenAI has not yet revealed the device’s final form factor, underscoring how much capital is flowing into the consumer AI hardware category even before products ship.
