OpenAI's First Hardware Device Is Reportedly a Screenless Speaker That Can Move

OpenAI is taking its first step into hardware with a reported device that breaks from the smart speaker mold. According to Bloomberg, the screenless device is being pitched internally as a "humanlike AI companion that lives in the home" and will feature a personality that learns about its owner over time. It will have access to a user's digital life, including emails, and will include mechanical elements that allow it to move on its own, becoming a "physical manifestation of ChatGPT."

The device is still under development and has been created with help from former Apple engineers who worked on the iPhone and Mac. This move comes amid legal tension between OpenAI and Apple, as the latter recently sued OpenAI for trade secret theft. OpenAI reportedly believes its new product "veers significantly from anything Apple has on the market today" and is unlikely to violate any trade secrets.

The push into consumer AI hardware follows broader industry excitement. Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised $700 million in May to build personal intelligence devices, underscoring the capital flowing into this category even before products ship.