OpenAI’s first consumer hardware product may not be a smartphone or wearable after all. According to a report, the company is developing a portable, screen-free smart speaker designed to serve as an AI companion inside the home, marking its first major step into consumer hardware.
The device, which is still under development, is expected to rely on ChatGPT and advanced voice capabilities instead of a traditional display. Internally, it is reportedly being described as a ‘humanlike AI companion’ that can interact naturally with users while helping manage everyday tasks.
As opposed to ordinary smart speakers, the new one is going to be equipped with a self-recharging battery, allowing users to carry it around within their homes. Moreover, the device is expected to include a camera and various sensors, enabling it to understand its environment and respond accordingly.
The speaker with AI will perform various functions, including managing smart home devices, playing music, answering questions, handling messages, and providing access to ChatGPT. Additionally, it was advised to use the new GPT-Live, OpenAI’s latest voice technology.
Among its unique features will be a mechanism enabling movement.
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The hardware project comes after OpenAI’s $6.5 billion takeover of the AI hardware startup, founded by Jony Ive, who led Apple Inc.’s design department. LoveFrom, the design firm of Ive, and some former Apple Inc. employees are allegedly behind the project.
It must be emphasized that the new product comes into existence in the wake of a legal suit by Apple against OpenAI, in which Apple accused OpenAI and some former Apple employees of misusing trade secrets in the process of creating consumer hardware. OpenAI denied all the claims and made no comments regarding the recent news about the project.
Despite the absence of any official announcement of a new product from the company, there have been many rumors that OpenAI may introduce the speaker sometime this year and release it to the market in 2027. Besides ChatGPT, OpenAI is working on several other AI hardware projects.