OpenAI is preparing to enter the consumer hardware market with a portable, screen-free smart speaker designed to function as an AI-powered home companion, according to a Bloomberg News report cited by Reuters.
The reported device, which is still under development, would mark OpenAI’s first consumer hardware product and could create a new revenue stream for the artificial intelligence company as it moves closer to a potential initial public offering (IPO).
The report comes only days after Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two former Apple employees, alleging trade secret theft. In the complaint filed on Friday, Apple accused the AI company of orchestrating a systematic effort to obtain and exploit confidential information through former employees, recruitment activities and supplier relationships to accelerate its expansion into the consumer hardware market.
According to Bloomberg News, the new product is expected to resemble a speaker rather than a traditional display-equipped smart device. Citing people familiar with the project, the report said it is being designed to serve as a human-like AI companion within the home.
The device is expected to integrate with smart home systems, allowing users to control connected appliances, play music and other media, answer questions, respond to messages and access the broader capabilities of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Bloomberg also reported that the device will incorporate cameras and sensors to better understand a user’s environment and context, enabling more advanced AI interactions than those typically offered by existing smart speakers.
The hardware initiative builds on OpenAI’s acquisition last year of io, an AI devices startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. The company paid approximately $6.5 billion for the startup as part of its strategy to develop a new generation of AI-focused consumer devices.
Ive’s design firm, LoveFrom, is reportedly playing a key role in developing OpenAI’s hardware business. Bloomberg said the project also involves several former Apple designers and engineers who previously worked on products including the iPhone and Mac.
