OpenAI's first hardware product is a smart speaker with a camera, designed by Jony Ive

OpenAI's first ChatGPT gadget could be a smart speaker with a camera

OpenAI's first hardware release will be a smart speaker with a camera that will probably cost between $200 and $300, according to The Information. The device will be able to recognize things like "items on a nearby table or conversations people are having in the vicinity," The Information says, and it will have a Face ID-like facial recognition system so that people can purchase things. OpenAI acquired Jony Ive's hardware company last May in a deal worth nearly $6.5 billion. Details about their hardware products have been trickling out since then, including that the first device won't be a wearable and that it won't be released to customers earlier than March 2027. Other hardware companies are making a big push into AI gadgets, too -- including Apple, Ive's former employer, which is reportedly making its own smart glasses, an AI-powered pendant, and AirPods with cameras. In addition to the smart speaker, OpenAI is "possibly" working on smart glasses and a smart lamp, The Information reports. (Apple may also be working on a smart lamp.) But OpenAI's glasses might not hit mass production until 2028, and while OpenAI has made prototypes of gadgets like the smart lamp, The Information says it's "unclear" if they'll be released and that OpenAI's devices plans are in early stages.

OpenAI will reportedly release an AI-powered smart speaker in 2027

OpenAI is reportedly hard at work developing a series of AI-powered devices, including smart glasses, a smart speaker and a smart lamp. According to reporting by , the AI company has a team of over 200 employees dedicated to the project. The first product scheduled to be released is reported to be a smart speaker that would include a camera, allowing it to better absorb information about its users and surroundings. According to a person familiar with the project, this would extend to identifying objects on a nearby table, as well as conversations being held in the vicinity of the speaker. The camera will also support a facial recognition feature similar to Apple's Face ID that would enable users to authenticate purchases. The speaker is expected to retail for between $200 and $300 and ship in early 2027 at the earliest. Reporting indicates the company's AI-powered smart glasses, a space currently dominated by , would not come until 2028. As for the smart lamp, while prototypes have been made, it's unclear whether it will actually be brought to market. Last year OpenAI ex-Apple designer Jony Ive's startup io Products for $6.5 billion. Ive is considered largely responsible for Apple's design aesthetic, having been involved in designing just about every major Apple device since joining the company in the '90s before his departure in 2019. The acquisition of his sets the stage for Ive to lead hardware product development now for OpenAI. Since the partnership was forged, there have already due to technical issues, privacy concerns and logistical issues surrounding the computing power necessary to run a mass-produced AI device. Regardless of the behemoths behind the project, the speaker and other future products may still face a consumer that is always listening to and watching its users.

OpenAI's first Jony Ive device sounds like HomePod 2.0: report - 9to5Mac

A new report from The Information details OpenAI's hardware ambitions, and reveals that the first Jony Ive-designed device expected to launch is a smart speaker. Here are the details. OpenAI is working with Jony Ive to product its first line of hardware products, with a launch expected early next year. Per a new report, it sounds like the first Ive-OpenAI collaboration to launch could be a smart speaker -- HomePod 2.0 for Ive, you could say. Stephanie Palazzolo and Qianer Liu write at The Information: The smart speaker -- the first device OpenAI will release -- is likely to be priced between $200 and $300, according to two people with knowledge of it. The speaker will have a camera, enabling it to take in information about its users and their surroundings, such as items on a nearby table or conversations people are having in the vicinity, according to one of the people. It will also allow people to buy things by identifying them with a facial recognition feature similar to Apple's Face ID, the people said. The report mentions two other products both in active development: smart glasses and a smart lamp. Beyond the trio of devices, Palazzolo and Liu also offer some fresh insights into the collaboration between Ive, LoveFrom, and OpenAI. Ive's involvement with OpenAI is complicated. He still runs his design firm, LoveFrom, as an entity independent of OpenAI, even though it is LoveFrom that is in charge of coming up with potential OpenAI device designs. Meanwhile, OpenAI's internal devices team is in charge of making the hardware and the software powering it, as well as understanding how consumers will use the device. That division of responsibilities has sparked tensions. Some OpenAI staffers have complained that LoveFrom has been slow to revise its designs and shares little about its process of coming up with new ones, even with others working on devices within OpenAI Additionally, it sounds like there have been complications integrating Io members with OpenAI's existing hardware team following the Io acquisition. With Apple developing a trio of AI wearables plus new HomePod-related products, it will be interesting to see how the competition between the two companies pans out. Are you interested in getting an OpenAI smart speaker with a camera? Let us know in the comments.

Forget the HomePod -- OpenAI is launching a smart speaker designed by Jony Ive

ChatGPT's parent company is building a smart speaker, but can it stand out in a crowded market? OpenAI is quietly assembling one of its most ambitious projects yet: a family of AI-powered consumer devices, starting with a smart speaker for the home. But with Apple, Meta and Google already staking their claims in the space, the company has a steep climb ahead. According to a report from The Information, OpenAI has more than 200 people working on a lineup that could include a smart speaker, smart glasses and even a smart lamp. The smart speaker is expected to be the first product out the door, carrying a price tag somewhere between $200 and $300 -- though customers shouldn't expect to get their hands on it before February 2027 at the earliest. What we know about the device From what we can tell, the speaker won't be a passive listening device. It will reportedly feature a camera capable of observing its surroundings, recognizing faces for purchasing authentication -- similar to Apple's Face ID -- and even monitoring user behavior to offer proactive suggestions. For instance, it might nudge you to get to bed on time the night before an early flight on your calendar. Smart glasses are also in the pipeline, though mass production isn't expected until 2028. A market that's already moving fast OpenAI's hardware ambitions are coming together at a moment when the competition is anything but idle. Meta has already been selling its Ray-Ban smart glasses to consumers, with AI features baked in. Google has its own smart glasses efforts in motion. And Apple is reportedly developing an AI wearable pin alongside next-generation AirPods with enhanced sensors. For a company with no hardware track record, breaking into this market is a genuine challenge -- not just technically, but commercially. Consumers have become more selective about the devices they adopt, with surveys showing that smart home and wearable adoption rises only when products provide clear daily value and convenience. The team behind it OpenAI formed its devices division nine months ago following its acquisition of Io Products, a startup co-founded by CEO Sam Altman and legendary Apple design chief Jony Ive. Ive's design firm, LoveFrom, is handling the look and feel of the devices, while OpenAI's internal team manages hardware, software and consumer research. The group is led by Peter Welinder, a vice president and general manager at OpenAI, and includes several Apple veterans -- among them Tang Tan (hardware lead), Evans Hankey (industrial design), and Scott Cannon (supply chain). Bottom line OpenAI has the AI chops, the funding and the design pedigree to make a serious run at consumer hardware. But between a crowded market, a timeline stretching into 2027 and beyond and the inherent difficulty of building physical products from scratch, there's plenty that could go wrong before any of these devices reach store shelves. We'll be tracking this project closely and updating as new details surface. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.

OpenAI developing AI devices including smart speaker, The Information reports

Feb 20 (Reuters) - OpenAI has more than 200 people working on a family of AI-powered devices that will include a smart speaker and possibly smart glasses and a smart lamp, the Information reported on Friday, citing a person with knowledge of the plans. The smart speaker, the first device OpenAI will launch, is likely to be priced between $200 and $300, the report said, citing two people with knowledge of it. The speaker, which, however, would not ship until February 2027 at earliest, will have a camera, enabling it to take in information about its users and their surroundings, the report said. The smart glasses likely would not be ready for mass production until 2028, the report said. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The ChatGPT owner entered the hardware industry with the $6.5 billion acquisition of former Apple designer Jony Ive's startup io Products, aiming to capitalize on the growing demand for physical AI and augmented reality. Facebook-parent Meta has seen strong success with its Ray-Ban smart glasses, which allows users to record and take pictures, and stream content through tiny cameras. Apple and Google are also reportedly working on their own smart glasses. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)