OpenAI’s First Hardware Device Will Be a Movable, Screenless AI Speaker Built as a Home Companion Bot

OpenAI’s long-anticipated push into consumer hardware is set to begin with a mobile, screen-free smart speaker designed to function as a humanlike AI companion in the home, according to people familiar with the matter cited in a Bloomberg report published Tuesday.

The device, still under development, is intended to serve as a new type of home computer built specifically for the artificial intelligence era, rather than a conventional smart speaker competing directly with existing products from companies such as Amazon or Google. According to the report, the sources requested anonymity because the project has not been formally announced by the company.

Core Functions and Capabilities

The speaker is expected to control smart-home appliances, play media, answer questions and respond to messages, while tapping into the broader range of capabilities offered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform. Unlike stationary smart speakers currently on the market, the device is designed to be portable, featuring a rechargeable battery that would allow users to carry it from room to room without needing a constant power connection.

The device’s communication abilities will rely on GPT-Live, a more advanced version of ChatGPT’s Voice Mode that OpenAI rolled out earlier this month. According to the report, GPT-Live is designed to behave more like a human conversational partner, capable of listening and speaking simultaneously, adapting naturally during conversations and processing information more quickly than previous voice technology from the company.

The speaker will also include a camera and additional sensors intended to help it understand a user’s surroundings and broader context, giving it capabilities that extend beyond what typical smart speakers currently offer on the market.

Designed to Feel Like a Companion, Not Just a Gadget

According to people familiar with OpenAI’s plans, the company envisions the device becoming increasingly personalized and proactive over time as it develops a deeper understanding of its owner. The goal, the report said, is for the device to anticipate a user’s needs, surface relevant information without being asked, and function as something akin to a personal expert embedded within the home.

OpenAI reportedly wants the product to feel less like a traditional piece of consumer electronics and more like a companion, effectively serving as a physical embodiment of ChatGPT itself. Internally, the report said, OpenAI describes the device not simply as a speaker, but as the first of an entirely new category: a computer purpose-built for artificial intelligence, intended to help busy users become more productive throughout their day.

A High-Stakes Move Into Consumer Devices

The hardware push represents a critical next step for OpenAI, which remains one of the world’s leading developers of AI models and is reportedly positioning itself for an initial public offering in the coming months. Entering the consumer device market would place OpenAI in more direct competition with major technology companies including Apple, Amazon and Google, all of which have established footholds in smart-home and voice-assistant hardware.

OpenAI’s hardware ambitions trace back to a $6.5 billion acquisition of io Products last year, a startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. Ive’s design firm, LoveFrom, is reportedly assisting with development of OpenAI’s broader hardware lineup, alongside former Apple executives Tang Tan, Evans Hankey and Paul Meade, all of whom are said to be involved in the project.

According to the Bloomberg report, OpenAI is currently developing roughly five hardware products in total, with the screenless speaker positioned to be the first to reach the market. The company is aiming to formally unveil the device later this year, with a broader consumer launch targeted for 2027, though the timeline could shift depending on how development and ongoing legal matters unfold.

Apple Lawsuit Looms Over the Project

The device’s development comes amid heightened legal tension between OpenAI and Apple. Apple sued OpenAI last week, accusing the company of misusing trade secrets in the development of its consumer hardware efforts. Despite the lawsuit, people familiar with OpenAI’s plans said the company believes its screenless speaker design differs substantially from anything currently offered by Apple, and that the product is unlikely to raise legitimate trade-secret concerns.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who authored the original report, wrote on social media that Apple currently has “nothing like” OpenAI’s device on the market today.

An OpenAI spokesperson declined to comment on the report when contacted.

Market Reaction

News of OpenAI’s hardware plans had an immediate effect on shares of at least one existing smart-speaker manufacturer. Shares of Sonos Inc. tumbled more than 10% in late trading following the report before paring some of those losses, reflecting investor concern about a well-funded new competitor entering the smart-speaker category. Apple shares dipped slightly, falling less than 1% to an intraday low, while shares of Amazon and Google’s parent company Alphabet saw more modest movement.

A New Chapter in OpenAI’s Product Strategy

The screenless speaker marks OpenAI’s most concrete step yet toward becoming a hardware company in addition to its established role as an AI software and model developer. If successful, the device could reshape how consumers interact with AI assistants in everyday settings, shifting some of that interaction away from smartphones and computer screens and into a dedicated, physical companion device designed specifically around conversational AI.

Whether the product ultimately succeeds in differentiating itself from established smart-speaker competitors, and whether it can navigate the ongoing legal dispute with Apple, will likely shape how OpenAI’s broader hardware ambitions unfold in the years ahead as the company continues expanding beyond its origins as a pure AI research and software organization.