OpenAI is reportedly preparing its first consumer hardware product—a portable, screen-free AI speaker designed to act more like a companion than a traditional voice assistant.
The device, which remains under development according to Bloomberg, is expected to become OpenAI’s first consumer hardware product and could mark the company’s biggest move beyond software since ChatGPT brought generative AI into the mainstream.
Bloomberg reported that the speaker is designed for use at home. It would handle tasks such as controlling smart-home devices, playing music, answering questions, responding to messages, and accessing ChatGPT’s capabilities.
Bloomberg reported that the speaker is expected to include a rechargeable battery, allowing users to carry it from room to room instead of leaving it plugged into a single location.
The device is also expected to include cameras, sensors, and an advanced version of ChatGPT’s voice technology, GPT-Live, enabling it to better understand its surroundings and hold more natural conversations.
The report says OpenAI wants the product to anticipate users’ needs and offer help proactively rather than simply respond to voice commands.
Another unique feature is the addition of moving mechanical parts intended to give the device a stronger sense of personality, making it feel more like a companion than a conventional smart speaker.
Hardware ambitions meet legal pressure
The reported product marks OpenAI’s biggest consumer hardware move since its $6.4 billion acquisition of io, the AI devices startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. LoveFrom, Ive’s design studio, is also helping develop the new hardware alongside several former Apple engineers and designers, Bloomberg reported.
The reported hardware plans also come as OpenAI faces litigation from Apple over its hardware hiring efforts. The iPhone maker recently sued OpenAI, alleging the company improperly obtained Apple trade secrets through former employees as it expanded its hardware efforts.
OpenAI has denied the allegations. According to Bloomberg, the company believes its speaker is fundamentally different from Apple’s existing and planned products and does not infringe on Apple’s trade secrets. Bloomberg reported that OpenAI hopes to unveil the device later this year before launching it in 2027, although the ongoing lawsuit could affect that timeline.
My take
Most mainstream smart speakers have been marketed primarily as productivity or convenience tools. OpenAI is selling emotional attachment: a device that watches, listens, learns your habits, and moves like it’s alive.
That’s a much harder sell than “plays your music,” because it asks people to trust an AI company with camera access and email-level personal context inside their homes. If it works, OpenAI could define a new product category. If it doesn’t, it becomes the textbook example of AI hardware overreach.
What could go wrong
OpenAI has not publicly detailed how data from the reported cameras or sensors would be processed, stored, or protected. Those unanswered questions are likely to become a major point of scrutiny if the device reaches the market.
Add an unresolved legal fight with Apple, a 2027 target release, and a hardware division still years from shipping its five reported projects, and the timeline looks fragile. Competitors aren’t waiting, either.
Apple has its own AI speaker in the works, and startups like Hark have raised hundreds of millions for similar personal intelligence hardware.
Also read: OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 launch followed a US security review, showing how the company’s AI products are increasingly shaped by safeguards, governance, and government scrutiny.