OpenAI's First Hardware Device Is a Screenless, Moving AI Speaker That Learns Your Life

OpenAI is developing its first physical device: a rechargeable, screenless smart speaker with mechanical movement designed to function as a humanlike AI companion, though an Apple lawsuit threatens to delay it until 2027.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is developing its first hardware device — and it is nothing like what anyone expected. According to a Bloomberg report, the company is building a screenless, rechargeable smart speaker designed to function as a humanlike AI companion rather than a conventional voice assistant.

The device, described by sources familiar with the project, will have its own distinct personality and is built to connect "on a humanlike level with users." Unlike stationary smart speakers from Amazon or Google, OpenAI's device features mechanical parts that can move on their own — simulating the sense that the device is alive. It includes a camera to understand the user's surroundings and a rechargeable battery so it can be carried from room to room.

Powered by ChatGPT, the speaker will control smart home accessories, answer questions, play media, and respond to messages. More importantly, it is designed to learn about the user over time, becoming increasingly personalized and proactive. Former Apple engineers are reportedly helping develop the hardware, lending the project serious consumer-electronics credibility.

CEO Sam Altman has previously teased the device as having "incredible contextual awareness" about the user's life, describing it as a new type of computer built for AI. The company originally aimed for a 2026 launch, but the timeline has now reportedly slipped to 2027.

Complicating matters: Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the company stole trade secrets — including a proprietary metal finishing technique — to develop the device. Apple is seeking an injunction that could block the hardware from reaching the market entirely. Bloomberg's sources, however, say the OpenAI device is "nothing like anything Apple has on the market" and is unlikely to violate Apple's trade secrets.

The move marks a pivotal moment for OpenAI as it transitions from a software and API company into a consumer hardware player — and sets the stage for what could become the first meaningful challenge to the smart speaker status quo in nearly a decade.

Sources: MobileSyrup, Daily Tech News Show