OpenAI's first hardware device is reportedly a screenless speaker that can move

OpenAI's first foray into hardware is a mobile smart speaker with integrated AI capabilities that can sync with ChatGPT and provide other home AI services. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the device — still under development — is designed to be screen-free and is being pitched internally as a “humanlike AI companion that lives in the home.”

Sources described the device to Bloomberg as having a “personality” and being able to proactively learn about its owner over time, providing more personalized service. The machine would have access to a user’s digital life, drawing off things like emails. The report also includes the detail that the device involves “mechanical elements that can move on their own” and is designed to “feel like a companion and become a physical manifestation of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.”

The device was developed with help from many former Apple engineers who were instrumental in creating products such as the iPhone and Mac. However, OpenAI is currently embroiled in hardware-related legal trouble. Apple last week sued OpenAI, accusing the AI company of stealing its trade secrets. Apple further claimed that the allegations are merely “the tip of the iceberg” and that more misconduct will be revealed during discovery. OpenAI has denied wrongdoing.

Citing anonymous sources, Bloomberg writes that OpenAI feels its new product “veers significantly from anything Apple has on the market today” and that it is “unlikely that it violates trade secrets” belonging to Apple. The push comes as the tech world grows more excited about consumer AI hardware. Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised an oversubscribed $700 million Series A in May at a $6 billion valuation to build “personal intelligence” — proprietary AI models paired with custom hardware. The company hasn’t yet detailed its device’s form factor, underscoring how much capital is chasing this category even before products ship.