OpenAI's first hardware device is a screenless smart speaker with mechanical movement

OpenAI's first hardware device is reportedly a screenless speaker that can move

OpenAI's first foray into hardware devices is reported to be a mobile smart speaker with integrated AI capabilities that can sync with ChatGPT and provide other home AI services. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the device -- which is still currently under development -- is designed to be screen-free and is being pitched internally as a "humanlike AI companion that lives in the home." OpenAI has long claimed that it wants to launch a hardware product -- with some rumors being that it wants to launch its own phone, a move that would put it in competition with Apple. The push comes as the tech world grows more excited about consumer AI hardware more broadly. Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised an oversubscribed $700 million Series A back in May at a $6 billion valuation to build what it calls "personal intelligence" -- proprietary AI models paired with custom hardware designed as a "universal interface between humans and machines." The company hasn't yet detailed its device's form factor, underscoring how much capital is chasing this category even before products ship. OpenAI's newly surfaced device sounds like something of a departure from traditional smart speakers -- as sources described the device to Bloomberg as having a "personality" and being able to proactively learn about its owner over time, providing more personalized service. The machine would have access to a user's digital life, drawing off things like emails, sources said. The device is also weirdly described as involving "mechanical elements that can move on their own" and the Bloomberg report includes the detail that the device is designed to "feel like a companion and become a physical manifestation of OpenAI's ChatGPT." The device was developed with help from many former Apple engineers who were instrumental in "creating products such as the iPhone and Mac," Bloomberg writes. Indeed, OpenAI may be attempting to launch a new hardware line, but the company is currently up to its eyeballs in trouble over hardware-related legal problems. Apple last week sued OpenAI, accusing the AI company of stealing its trade secrets. Apple further claimed that the allegations involved in the suit are merely "the tip of the iceberg" and that more misconduct will be revealed during the legal discovery process. OpenAI has denied wrongdoing. Citing anonymous sources with knowledge of OpenAI's plans, Bloomberg writes that the company feels its new product "veers significantly from anything Apple has on the market today" and that it is "unlikely that it violates trade secrets" belonging to Apple.

OpenAI Reportedly Eyeing Portable Speaker for Debut Device

Expertise I have more than 35 years' experience in journalism in the heart of Silicon Valley. OpenAI's entry into the world of consumer devices is expected to begin with the release of a portable smart speaker that lacks a screen, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday. The device is being positioned as "a new type of computer for the AI era," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported, adding that it would "serve as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home." The device, which Gurman wrote is still in development, is expected to operate in much the same way today's smart speakers do: answer questions, play media, operate smart-home appliances, as well as respond to messages and make use of capabilities offered by OpenAI's ChatGPT. But OpenAI's device is expected to go a bit further into homes by offering a "personality" that would make a humanlike connection with users. It will include "mechanical elements that can move on their own, creating a sense that it is alive," Bloomberg reported. The product leak comes days after Apple sued OpenAI, accusing the company of stealing its trade secrets. Apple alleged it "uncovered a pattern of theft of Apple's trade secrets by OpenAI employees who were formerly at Apple." Apple also called the instances it uncovered "the tip of the iceberg." However, OpenAI feels its new product "veers significantly" from any Apple device currently on the market and that it is "unlikely" its new device violates any Apple trade secrets, according to anonymous sources described as knowledgeable of OpenAI's plans. There's been much speculation lately about OpenAI's hardware ambitions. The company has been linked to a possible release of AI earbuds later this year or early 2027 and is also said to be working on a smartphone in partnership with component-makers MediaTek, Qualcomm and Luxshare. OpenAI's hardware ambitions have included a high-profile partnership with former Apple designer Jony Ive. One recent rumor was that the devices could include one worn in the ear, but that OpenAI could have as many as five different devices ready by the end of 2028. OpenAI didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

OpenAI may announce a ChatGPT smart speaker this year

The company wants to release the gadget, its first major hardware device, in 2027. OpenAI's first device is set to be a smart speaker that lets you talk with ChatGPT, according to a report from Bloomberg. The device apparently won't have a screen, but will use a camera and additional sensors to "understand" your environment. The report comes just days after Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI that accused the AI company of stealing hardware secrets. OpenAI, in a new statement on Tuesday, said that it is "not aware of any evidence that this complaint has merit." Sources tell Bloomberg that OpenAI's device will also feature a rechargeable battery that will allow users to carry it with them. It will offer smart home controls, along with the ability to play media, answer questions, and respond to messages. Bloomberg additionally says that the device will use GPT-Live, OpenAI's upgraded voice model announced last week. Bloomberg reports that the device will use "mechanical elements that can move on their own" in order to "connect on a humanlike level with users." In February, The Information reported on a similar device equipped with a camera that can recognize items or people nearby. The rumored speaker will launch in 2027 as part of OpenAI's plans for a bigger hardware lineup, which currently includes "roughly" five devices, according to Bloomberg. OpenAI is collaborating with former Apple designer Jony Ive on the new devices following its nearly $6.5 billion acquisition of his design company, io Products. OpenAI didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has also been teasing a Codex gadget called the Codex Micro, made in partnership with Work Louder, that's scheduled to release on July 15th.

OpenAI's first hardware device sounds half-speaker, half-robot

OpenAI reportedly plans to unveil it this year and release it in 2027, though the timeline could change. OpenAI has been talking up its move into hardware for some time, but the shape of its first device has remained unclear. According to a new report, the company is starting with a movable, screenless smart speaker designed to act as a physical manifestation of ChatGPT in the home. Bloomberg reports that the details come from people familiar with the project, who asked not to be identified because it hasn't been announced. The device is still under development and is intended to serve as a humanlike AI companion, capable of controlling smart-home appliances, playing media, answering questions, responding to messages, and drawing on ChatGPT's broader capabilities. The speaker will reportedly include a camera and other sensors to understand its surroundings, and will also use personal information, such as emails, to learn more about its owner. OpenAI is said to want the device to become more personalized and proactive over time, including anticipating needs and surfacing information proactively. Mechanical elements may also be involved to make it feel more alive. A rechargeable battery would let users carry the device from room to room -- there's no suggestion that the mechanical parts are some kind of wheels or legs. Bloomberg says it could be moved into the kitchen for cooking help, taken into another room while doing chores, and later used for music. Its voice features are expected to rely on GPT-Live, the more advanced version of ChatGPT Voice Mode that OpenAI introduced this month. OpenAI is reportedly aiming to unveil the device this year before releasing it in 2027, although those plans could still change. Apple is seeking an injunction against OpenAI's hardware business as part of a lawsuit alleging trade-secret theft -- a move that could affect the timeline. The company is said to have around five hardware products in development, including wearables, home robotics, and a possible smartphone replacement.

The OpenAI Mystery Device Will Reportedly Be Basically Just a Smart Speaker

According to an anonymously sourced report from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the much hyped and frequently mocked physical doohickey coming soon from OpenAI will be... a smart speaker that moves. In April, another major source of Apple rumors, Ming-Chi Kuo, analyst at TF International Securities described something in a different category when he said OpenAI was releasing an "AI agent phone." One (or both) of these rumors could be wrong, or this could be a different device, or -- and in my view this is equally likely -- the thing OpenAI is making could split the difference between being a phone and being a smart speaker. After all, what's in the Bloomberg article doesn't sound entirely stale and uncreative. It will apparently be portable, battery-powered, and small enough to be easy to move from one room to another -- like a baby monitor or 90s cordless phone perhaps. But it will also be capable of controlling the smart appliances in your house, screenless, and chatbot-powered, like a smart speaker. And then there's this curveball: it will reportedly have mechanical components that allow it to move in some way or another, giving the impression that it is "alive." If that part about moving sounds harebrained to you, what if I said it sounds oddly like something Apple has been working on for the past few years? There are reportedly three prototype home devices that have been floating around Cupertino for a while: two Siri-powered smart speakers, meant to introduce a new and more sophisticated Apple HomePod ecosystem, along with a third that is also a little robot that moves around your tabletop. Last week, Apple sued OpenAI for misappropriating its trade secrets, alleging a scheme involving the poaching of talent from Apple, including mechanical engineer Tang Tan. OpenAI says in response, "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets," according to spokesperson Drew Pusateri, who adds, "We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere." But it's worth keeping in mind that other rumors about the Apple home robot device have made it seem like more of an iPad-like device with robotic swiveling action, and not at all like a smart speaker. The smart speaker device is apparently the culmination of OpenAI's relationship with former Apple design legend Jony Ive, and the $6.4 billion acquisition of Ive's hardware design company io. As far as what might make the OpenAI device at least ostensibly special and unique, Bloomberg's source claims that it's supposed to be a companion that gets "increasingly personalized and proactive as it gains a deeper understanding of its owner over time." It needs to live up to every part of that claim and more, because it would not be an exaggeration to say it is the most hyperbolically hyped-up device since the Segway scooter in 2001. Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have sounded downright creepily obsessed with this thing since the slickly produced video announcement of their friendship (What, you don't do this when you make a friend?) released in March of last year. In November, Altman recounted Ive saying "'We'll know we'll have the design right when you want to lick it or take a bite out of it.'" Altman then claimed that "There was an earlier prototype that we were like quite excited about, but I did not have any feeling of like 'I want to pick up that thing and take a bite out of it." He then added, "But finally we got there all of a sudden." Altman has also said the device will be "the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen." And Bloomberg says it will be a smart speaker, so I guess we'll soon see who's right.

OpenAI's first device will be a portable speaker with a camera and other sensors

According to Bloomberg, OpenAI's anticipated entry into the hardware market is slated to begin with a portable, screenless smart speaker. Here are the details. One of roughly five products under development Although OpenAI first announced its entry into the hardware market in May 2025 alongside Jony Ive's io Products, the subject had largely faded into the background before Apple's trade secret lawsuit brought renewed attention to what the company might be building. Soon after the initial announcement, company iyO filed a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI and io Products, and court filings in that case offered the first clues about what the project would not be: the first device under development was neither a wearable nor an in-ear product. Now, Bloomberg reports what the device is actually expected to be. From the report: OpenAI's much-anticipated push into consumer devices is slated to begin with a mobile, screen-free smart speaker designed to be a new type of home computer for the AI era, according to people familiar with the matter. And Though the new product resembles a speaker, OpenAI internally describes it as the first of its kind: a computer built for AI to help make busy people more productive. It includes a camera and other sensors that help it understand a user's surroundings and context, as well as advanced AI models beyond those available on conventional smart speakers. The report says the device can remain plugged into a single room, but will also feature a rechargeable battery "allowing it to be carried from room to room throughout the day": A user could bring it into the laundry room while doing chores, move it into the kitchen for cooking assistance, and later place it in a living room or bedroom to have it play music. It can also remain plugged into a single room if the customer chooses. The report also notes that, while comparisons to Apple's HomePod may be inevitable, particularly in light of Apple's trade secret lawsuit, "OpenAI believes its first product doesn't violate any trade secrets." Finally, Bloomberg says the speaker is one of roughly five products OpenAI has been developing, and that its longer-term plans reportedly include "a mobile AI device capable of replacing the smartphone." At the same time, the company has also "explored wearable products, including a pendant, and has shown interest in home robotics." To read Bloomberg's full report, follow this link. Worth checking out on Amazon

OpenAI's First AI Device Will Be a Portable Smart Speaker

OpenAI's first AI hardware product is a mobile smart speaker without a display, reports Bloomberg. The device is at the heart of a new legal dispute with Apple, with Apple accusing OpenAI of stealing trade secrets that have contributed to the development of the product. OpenAI's speaker-like product is designed to "serve as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home," according to Bloomberg. It will be able to control smart home accessories, answer questions, play media, respond to messages, and more, with the device powered by ChatGPT. It is meant to learn more about the user over time, becoming more personalized and proactive, using GPT-Live to communicate with users. The device will have a personality, and will be able to "connect on a humanlike level with users." It has mechanical elements that can move on their own, to create a sense that the device is alive. There's also a camera so it can understand a user's surroundings. The AI product includes a rechargeable battery and it can be carried from room to room. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple designer Jony Ive have teased the device several times, suggesting it will have "incredible contextual awareness" about a user's life, and describing it as a new type of computer built for AI. The two have suggested prototypes are "jaw-droppingly good" and "exciting." In a lawsuit filed against OpenAI for theft of trade secrets, Apple claims OpenAI used its confidential information developing the AI device, including gaining access to a proprietary metal finishing technique. "OpenAI's nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets," reads Apple's filing. People familiar with the project told Bloomberg that the device is different from anything Apple has on the market today, and it is "unlikely" it violates Apple trade secrets. Though Apple has the HomePod and HomePod mini speakers, OpenAI does not see Apple's speakers as comparable to its hardware product. Apple is also working on a home hub device that sounds similar to what OpenAI is developing. Apple's smart home hub is rumored to have a 7-inch square display, a speaker, a camera for video chats and facial recognition, and Siri AI integration. Initial rumors suggested OpenAI's hardware device could come out as soon as 2026, but it's now not expected to launch until 2027. OpenAI could unveil the AI product this year ahead of its 2027 release, but the Apple lawsuit could change the timing. Apple has asked the court for an injunction, and if granted, OpenAI could be prohibited from releasing hardware.

OpenAI's first hardware product sounds more like a companion than a speaker

The AI company is reportedly building a mobile home device that understands context and proactively helps users. For months, rumors have suggested that OpenAI's first hardware product could be a wearable AI device, or perhaps even the beginning of its long-term smartphone ambitions. As it turns out, the company's first gadget may be something far simpler, yet arguably far more ambitious. It will help control smart-home appliances, play media, answer questions, respond to messages, and tap into the range of capabilities offered by OpenAI's ChatGPT, according to people familiar with the matter. OpenAI's first AI device could end up being a speaker, following plenty of hype that the company is actually working on a wearable AI device and might even launch a smartphone down the road. According to a Bloomberg report, the speaker will serve as a human-like AI companion that will integrate directly with the smart home ecosystem. Recommended Videos "OpenAI believes the product's defining feature will be its personality and ability to connect on a humanlike level with users," adds the report. The device will likely serve as a hub for a proactive AI agent, one that not only answers user queries but also anticipates what a user might need in the moment. More companion than speaker Despite resembling a smart speaker, Bloomberg says OpenAI internally sees the product as something much bigger: the company's first AI-native computer. Simply put, it could very well be a physical manifestation of the ChatGPT AI assistant, designed to stay nearby and proactively help throughout the day rather than waiting for users to ask questions. More notably, the speaker will feature a mechanical design that offers a certain level of movement or directional flexibility, making it feel a little more alive than the smart speakers we're used to today. The idea sounds somewhat similar to what Apple has reportedly been building over the years with the HomePod. To recall, Apple is said to be working on its own smart display that's likely mounted on a movable robotic arm, although OpenAI appears to be taking a screen-free approach focused entirely on voice and AI interactions. At the heart of those human-machine interactions will be GPT-Live, the voice-first mode of ChatGPT that's designed to feel remarkably natural during conversations. Bloomberg also says the device will include a camera for understanding its surroundings, while an additional environmental sensor could help it detect context in a manner similar to Amazon's presence-sensing Echo devices. The goal, it seems, is to build an assistant that doesn't just hear commands, but understands the world around it. Just the beginning of OpenAI's hardware ambitions OpenAI's smart speaker is also expected to include a rechargeable battery, meaning it won't necessarily have to remain plugged into a wall like traditional smart speakers. Instead, users could carry it from room to room, allowing the AI companion to stay close throughout the day. Bloomberg adds that this is only the beginning. OpenAI is reportedly developing five different hardware products, with the smart speaker expected to be the first to launch in 2027. The broader effort is being shaped by LoveFrom, the design studio founded by legendary former Apple design chief Jony Ive, which is helping OpenAI explore an entirely new family of AI-powered devices. The timing couldn't be more interesting. Apple recently filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of poaching employees and using them to obtain confidential product information related to future hardware. Yet, if Bloomberg's report is accurate, the company's first device isn't trying to be another smartphone or smart display. Instead, OpenAI appears to be betting that the next big AI gadget could be something far more personal -- a companion that quietly follows users through their day, understands their surroundings, and feels less like a gadget and more like someone always ready to help.

OpenAI Bets On An AI Speaker That Physically Moves Around Your House, Chasing A Gap Apple Left Wide Open

Apple's damning lawsuit against OpenAI appears to have had a profound impact on the latter's product launch cadence, with the latest report indicating that the maker of ChatGPT is now prioritizing a screen-free, mobile smart speaker, which is something that Apple currently does not have. OpenAI's planned smart speaker will have "mechanical elements" to help it move, and it will be able to connect with users on a human-like level As we detailed recently, Apple filed a damning lawsuit against OpenAI last week, accusing it of stealing its proprietary technology, circuit designs, and component architecture for a slew of upcoming consumer-geared AI devices. Now, however, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is out with a fresh scoop, detailing that OpenAI is preparing a unique smart speaker as the first among an upcoming range of consumer-facing AI devices. Additional details include: Of course, if OpenAI thought that prioritizing this product would disprove Apple's assertions in its lawsuit, it's likely mistaken. After all, Apple is actively preparing a somewhat similar smart home device that bears the internal codename J595, and will reportedly come equipped with a screen and a robotic arm. Apple is expected to launch a more conventional smart home command center first, though, one that bears the codename J490 and is expected to feature a new operating system, a square 7-inch display, videoconferencing abilities, and facial recognition. Do note that OpenAI has been working on a number of AI devices, including AI-powered earbuds that bear the internal codename "Sweetpea" but might retail under the "Dime" brand name, and a consumer device that is shaped like a pen and bears the internal codename "Gumdrop." More recently, OpenAI appeared to have pivoted to an AI phone, where users would rely on real-time AI agent inference using a combination of on-device and cloud-based models, rather than individual apps, to perform a variety of productivity tasks. In light of today's reporting, however, it seems this AI phone has been placed on a back burner. Meanwhile, Apple is also working to incorporate AI into a number of its upcoming products, including audio-only and AR-based smart glasses, camera-equipped AirPods Pro (though the latest tidbit suggests the product has been placed in a deep-freeze), and a wearable AI pin or pendant that would come equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, microphones, and wireless charging. Apple's pin/pendant would presumably act as a conduit for channeling commands to Siri, while relying heavily on its iPhone counterpart for most processing despite sporting an onboard chip, albeit comparable in power to the one that is housed within the AirPods or the Apple Watch. Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.