OpenAI's first hardware product is a screenless AI speaker designed to feel alive

OpenAI is planning a portable, screenless smart speaker as an AI companion for the home. The device is meant to feel alive, but Apple's trade secrets lawsuit could delay its launch.

OpenAI's long-awaited move into hardware will reportedly begin with a portable, screenless speaker, according to a Bloomberg report. The device, still in development, is meant to serve as a human-like AI companion at home, controlling smart home gadgets, playing media, answering questions, handling messages, and tapping into the full range of ChatGPT.

OpenAI internally describes the product as a "new type of home computer for the AI era," Bloomberg reports. It includes a camera and other sensors to help it understand the user's surroundings and context. Unlike traditional smart speakers, it has a rechargeable battery so it can be carried from room to room.

Mechanical elements are designed to make the device appear lifelike

The speaker's defining feature will reportedly be its personality. OpenAI wants the device to become more personalized and proactive as it gets to know its owner: It is meant to anticipate needs, offer information on its own, and access personal data such as emails.

The speaker also reportedly includes mechanical parts that can move on their own. The goal is to make the device seem alive rather than like an object that simply responds to commands. OpenAI wants to create a physical version of ChatGPT, in line with CEO Sam Altman's goal of building a computer like the one in "Her."

This kind of heavy anthropomorphism has drawn criticism for its potential to trigger psychotic episodes, something that already happened with OpenAI's extremely sycophantic GPT-4o model.

Real-time communication runs on an expanded version of ChatGPT Voice Mode called GPT-Live, which OpenAI introduced a few days ago. The new voice mode can listen and speak at the same time, letting it adapt more naturally during conversations and further reinforcing the impression that it's human.

Apple's lawsuit could hold up the 2027 launch

Apple sued OpenAI last week over the alleged theft of trade secrets. The lawsuit focuses in part on Tang Tan, OpenAI's chief hardware officer and a co-founder of io Products. Tan previously led iPhone product design at Apple.

Apple accuses him of running a campaign to obtain confidential information about future Apple products. The company claims a former iPhone engineer hacked into its systems to get technical presentations. Apple called OpenAI's hardware ambitions "rotten at the core."

OpenAI denies the allegations, Bloomberg reports. The company says there's no evidence the lawsuit has merit and stresses the importance of fair competition and employees' freedom to choose where they work. The planned device is fundamentally different from Apple products and doesn't violate any trade secrets, OpenAI says. Apple acknowledges that only a discovery process can determine whether OpenAI used its technology.

Bloomberg reports that OpenAI plans to unveil the device later this year and release it in 2027. Apple is seeking an injunction against OpenAI's hardware efforts, which could delay the launch.

The speaker is only the start of OpenAI's hardware push

The AI smart speaker is likely just the beginning. Bloomberg reports that OpenAI's hardware division is working on about five products. Those projects reportedly include a portable AI device designed to replace a phone, a wearable pendant, and home robotics.

Apple itself is preparing its own family of AI-focused home devices, including a smart home command center with a 7-inch display, facial recognition, and a new operating system. A version with a screen mounted on a robotic arm and a smart home security system are also in the works.