OpenAI is reportedly working on a mobile smart speaker with AI capabilities as its first hardware device. Sam Altman’s screenless “companion” is designed to integrate with ChatGPT and provide personalized home AI services.
TechCrunch reports that OpenAI’s debut hardware product is taking shape as a screen-free smart speaker with integrated artificial intelligence capabilities. The device, currently under development, is being positioned internally as a humanlike AI companion designed to reside in the home and sync with ChatGPT while offering various home AI services.
The company has long expressed interest in launching hardware products, with previous speculation suggesting OpenAI might enter the smartphone market in potential competition with Apple. However, this newly surfaced device represents a different direction from traditional smart speakers available on the market today.
Sources familiar with the project claim that the device is designed to have a personality and the ability to proactively learn about its owner over time, enabling increasingly personalized service. The machine would reportedly have access to a user’s digital life, drawing information from sources such as emails to enhance its capabilities.
One particularly distinctive feature involves mechanical elements that can move autonomously. According to the Bloomberg report, the device is designed to feel like a companion and serve as a physical manifestation of OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology.
The development team includes numerous former Apple engineers who played instrumental roles in creating flagship products such as the iPhone and Mac, Bloomberg reports. This connection to Apple personnel has become especially significant given recent legal developments between the two companies.
Breitbart News previously reported that Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI claiming it schemed “at every level” to steal the iPhone giant’s hardware secrets:
In its legal filing, Apple stated that the alleged theft occurred at every level of OpenAI’s operations. “This much is clear, however: at every level, from members of its Technical Staff to its Chief Hardware Officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI has been stealing Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information,” the company said in court documents.
The lawsuit represents a stunning reversal for the two companies, which announced a high-profile partnership in 2024. That collaboration integrated ChatGPT into the iPhone’s operating system, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman visiting Apple’s headquarters for the announcement. However, the relationship between the firms has deteriorated since OpenAI revealed plans to enter the hardware industry.
OpenAI’s hardware ambitions come amid growing excitement in the technology industry about consumer AI hardware more broadly. The push into physical devices follows OpenAI’s recent acquisition of Jony Ive’s startup io, which has fueled speculation about the company’s hardware development plans.
Other companies are also pursuing this market opportunity. Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised an oversubscribed 700 million dollar Series A funding round in May at a $6 billion valuation. The company is building what it calls personal intelligence, combining proprietary AI models with custom hardware designed as a universal interface between humans and machines. Hark has not yet detailed its device’s form factor, highlighting how much capital is flowing into this category even before products reach the market.
Read more at TechCrunch here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.