Developed with former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive, OpenAI’s first consumer device is reportedly taking shape as a portable smart speaker designed to see, hear and respond to the world around it.
OpenAI’s long anticipated move into consumer hardware may begin not with a smartphone, wearable pin or pair of smart glasses, but with a screenless artificial intelligence companion built for the home.
The device is reportedly being developed as a portable smart speaker featuring cameras, environmental sensors and mechanical components that allow it to move. Rather than sitting passively on a shelf, the product could physically orient itself towards a user, creating a more responsive and humanlike presence within the room.
OpenAI has not formally confirmed the product’s final design or specifications. However, reporting from Bloomberg, subsequently covered by Yahoo Finance, Reuters and The Verge, suggests that the company is preparing to unveil the device during 2026 before a potential commercial release in 2027.
An AI presence rather than another screen
The absence of a display could become the device’s defining characteristic.
Instead of asking users to navigate menus, applications and notifications, OpenAI appears to be developing a voice first product centred on conversation and ambient intelligence. The device would reportedly use microphones, cameras and sensors to understand what is happening around it before providing a relevant response.
Potential functions include answering questions, playing music, controlling connected household appliances, managing messages and accessing ChatGPT. A rechargeable battery could allow the speaker to move between rooms rather than remaining permanently connected to a wall socket.
The inclusion of mechanical movement is particularly intriguing. Reports indicate that certain components may move to make the device appear more animated and attentive. It could, for example, turn towards the person speaking or reposition its camera to improve its understanding of the surrounding environment.
“OpenAI is not simply trying to build another smart speaker. It is attempting to give artificial intelligence a physical presence in everyday life.”
Whether that movement feels natural or unnecessarily theatrical will depend heavily on the final design. It may also determine whether consumers view the product as a useful assistant, a piece of domestic technology or an object that feels uncomfortably observant.
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Designed by the team behind some of Apple’s biggest products
The project brings together OpenAI’s artificial intelligence technology and the industrial design experience of Jony Ive, whose work at Apple helped shape products including the iPhone, iPod, iPad and MacBook.
OpenAI announced its agreement to acquire Ive’s hardware company, io Products, in May 2025. The io team officially merged with OpenAI that July, while Ive’s independent design collective, LoveFrom, retained its independence and assumed wider creative responsibilities across OpenAI.
The collaboration reflects OpenAI’s belief that the next major step in artificial intelligence will require new physical products rather than software alone. In its announcement, the company argued that modern computing experiences remain constrained by traditional interfaces, despite rapid advances in systems capable of seeing, reasoning and understanding.
Could it succeed where other AI devices struggled?
The emerging AI hardware market has already demonstrated how difficult it is to persuade consumers to replace familiar screens and smartphones.
Products such as the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1 attracted significant early attention but struggled to demonstrate why users needed a separate AI device. OpenAI’s advantage is the scale and recognition of ChatGPT, combined with Ive’s experience creating consumer products designed for mass adoption.
However, the proposed cameras and always available microphones will inevitably generate privacy questions. OpenAI will need to explain clearly when the device is recording, what information is being processed, where that information is stored and how users can disable its sensors.
A screenless interface also creates practical limitations. Voice works well for questions and simple commands, but maps, photographs, documents and detailed information are often easier to understand visually. The device may therefore need to work closely with phones, televisions and computers whenever visual output is required.
Related video: OpenAI and Jony Ive’s hardware project explained
A new front in the AI race
OpenAI’s reported speaker would place the company in more direct competition with Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta, all of which are exploring ways to make artificial intelligence a more persistent part of everyday life.
The company is believed to be considering a wider family of hardware products rather than a single device. Its first release will therefore carry considerable strategic importance, establishing the design language and public expectations surrounding OpenAI’s transition from software provider to consumer technology company.
For now, many details remain unconfirmed. The final appearance, product name, price and exact release date could all change before an official announcement.
Nevertheless, the direction appears clear. OpenAI and Jony Ive are attempting to move artificial intelligence beyond browsers and smartphone applications, transforming it into something that can occupy and respond to the physical environment.
Should they succeed, the next major computing platform may not be another screen demanding attention. It could be a quiet, mobile presence that listens, observes and waits to be spoken to.