OpenAI is building its first consumer hardware device: a mobile, screenless smart speaker designed to act as a humanlike AI companion for the home [1, 2, 3]. The device will control smart-home appliances, play media, respond to messages, and answer questions using OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology [1, 2, 3]. It is rechargeable and can move autonomously within the home, featuring mechanical parts designed to create a sense of life rather than a simple machine responding to commands [1, 2, 4].

The speaker will learn about its owner over time, personalizing and proactively anticipating needs by accessing personal data like emails [1, 2, 3]. OpenAI describes it not as a passive voice assistant but as a proactive AI life companion [5, 6]. The device includes a camera, sensors, and uses an advanced ChatGPT Voice Mode called GPT-Live to enable natural, real-time conversations [5, 7, 8]. Anonymous sources said the product is "meant to serve as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home" [1] and "anticipates needs, surfacing information proactively and serving as an expert on its user" [2].

OpenAI views the device as a new type of home computer, a physical manifestation of ChatGPT [1, 3]. The company acquired the hardware design firm io Products, founded by ex-Apple designer Jony Ive, in 2025 for $6.5 billion to aid device development [5, 6, 8]. It has recruited over 400 former Apple employees, including designers and engineers of the iPhone, Mac, and Vision Pro [5, 6, 8]. The planned hardware lineup includes about five products, with this smart speaker slated as the first release [5, 6].

OpenAI faces a legal challenge from Apple, which sued in July 2026 alleging trade secret theft related to the hardware division and seeking to block the device's release [1, 2, 3, 5]. Apple claimed "the allegations involved in the suit are merely the tip of the iceberg" and predicted more misconduct will emerge during discovery [3]. OpenAI denies wrongdoing, stating the device "veers significantly from anything Apple has on the market today and is unlikely that it violates trade secrets" [1]. The lawsuit and possible injunction could delay or affect the release schedule [5, 6, 7].

OpenAI plans to announce the device in 2026 and aims for a market release in 2027, pending resolution of legal issues [5, 6, 7, 8].