OpenAI is preparing to enter the hardware business with a device that sounds like something from science fiction. According to a Bloomberg report, the company is developing a portable, screenless smart speaker designed to serve as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home.

The device, still under development, is described internally as a new type of home computer for the AI era. It represents OpenAI's most ambitious attempt to move beyond software and create a physical embodiment of its ChatGPT technology.

What You Need to Know

  • OpenAI's first hardware is a screenless portable speaker with a camera, sensors, and moving mechanical parts
  • Designed by Jony Ive's LoveFrom studio, the device runs on ChatGPT Live with proactive voice interaction
  • Apple has sued OpenAI for trade secret theft, potentially delaying the planned 2027 launch
  • Up to five hardware products are reportedly in development

Design and Features

The device includes a camera and environmental sensors that help it understand its surroundings. Unlike traditional smart speakers that sit in one place, it has a rechargeable battery so users can carry it from room to room. The defining feature is 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 unprompted, and access personal data such as emails.

The speaker includes mechanical parts that can move on their own, designed to make the device seem alive rather than like a static object that simply responds to commands. Real-time communication runs on GPT-Live, an expanded version of ChatGPT Voice Mode that can listen and speak simultaneously.

The Jony Ive Connection

The device was developed with significant involvement from Jony Ive's design studio LoveFrom and numerous former Apple engineers who worked on the iPhone and Mac. OpenAI acquired Ive's AI hardware startup io for $6.5 billion in 2025, signaling serious hardware ambitions long before this week's leak.

Apple Lawsuit

Apple sued OpenAI on July 10, 2026, accusing the company of orchestrating a broad effort to acquire and exploit confidential information through former employees. Apple described the allegations as only the tip of the iceberg and is seeking an injunction against OpenAI's hardware efforts. OpenAI denies the claims, saying the device is fundamentally different from Apple products.

What Comes Next

Bloomberg reports that OpenAI plans to unveil the device later in 2026 with a ship date targeted for early 2027. This is reportedly the first of up to five hardware products in OpenAI's pipeline, including a portable device designed to replace a phone, a wearable pendant, and home robotics. The lawsuit could disrupt this timeline.

Bottom Line

OpenAI's screenless speaker represents a bet that the future of AI interaction is ambient, proactive, and personal. Whether Apple's legal challenge delays or derails it, the device signals that OpenAI sees hardware as essential to its long-term vision.