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OpenAI is building a screenless, movable AI-powered smart speaker to act as a physical, humanlike companion in your home, according to Bloomberg. The device marks the AI giant’s first real step into physical consumer hardware. Instead of waiting for you to type a prompt on your phone, this portable companion will use cameras, sensors, and an advanced version of ChatGPT to proactively anticipate your daily needs as you move it from room to room.
The report says that OpenAI’s first AI hardware is currently under development for a rumored 2027 launch. This aggressive move comes as the tech world experiences a massive wave of excitement around this tech. For context, rival AI lab Hark recently raised a staggering $700 million Series A round to develop its own custom “personal intelligence” hardware. Developments like this reflect that investors are throwing massive capital at physical AI interfaces before they even ship.
A smart speaker with a physical personality
What makes this gadget particularly unique is its physical adaptability. The speaker features a rechargeable battery, allowing you to easily carry it from the kitchen for cooking help to the laundry room while doing chores. Even more surprising are the mechanical elements built directly into the chassis. These parts allow the speaker to move on its own, creating a physical sense of “personality” that makes it feel like an active, living companion rather than a passive plastic box.
The device will run on GPT-Live, the ultra-responsive, conversational voice mode that can chat, listen and adapt on the fly. To design the hardware, OpenAI spent $6.5 billion last year to acquire io Products, a startup co-founded by former Apple design veteran Tang Tan. OpenAI has teamed up with Jony Ive’s creative studio, LoveFrom, alongside ex-Apple industrial design stars Evans Hankey and Paul Meade. This massive bet seeks to ensure the final product feels incredibly personal (via Android Authority).
The looming corporate feud
However, hiring away more than 400 Apple employees has landed OpenAI in massive legal trouble. Apple recently sued OpenAI for trade secret theft, claiming the AI startup poached its top talent to illegally speed up its hardware pipeline. Apple is even pushing for a court injunction to freeze OpenAI’s hardware business entirely.
OpenAI maintains they have no interest in other companies’ secrets. Still, Apple is also busy prepping its own AI-focused home devices. This includes a long-delayed smart-home command center, code-named J490, which features a square 7-inch display mounted on a robotic arm. Despite the intense competition, insiders note that OpenAI believes its screenless speaker is so fundamentally different from Apple’s upcoming display that the lawsuit won’t hold up in court.
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