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SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI is developing its first consumer hardware product: a screenless home speaker designed as a physical companion for ChatGPT, according to reporting by Bloomberg that was corroborated by TechCrunch.
The device remains under development and has not been formally announced by OpenAI. Both outlets describe it as a mobile smart speaker with integrated AI features that can sync with ChatGPT and support other home AI services.
Bloomberg’s sources said the product is being pitched internally as a “humanlike AI companion that lives in the home.” TechCrunch reported that the speaker is designed to feel like a companion and become a physical manifestation of ChatGPT, with mechanical elements that can move on their own.
According to the same reporting, the device is expected to develop a “personality,” learn about its owner over time, and draw on parts of a user’s digital life, including emails, to personalize responses. Those details come from anonymous sources and have not been confirmed by OpenAI in a public product launch.
TechCrunch also noted that former Apple engineers who worked on products such as the iPhone and Mac helped develop the device. The report lands as Apple has sued OpenAI over alleged trade-secret theft — claims OpenAI has denied. Bloomberg’s sources told the outlet that OpenAI believes the planned product differs sharply from Apple’s lineup and is unlikely to violate Apple trade secrets.
Why it matters
If the reports are accurate, OpenAI would move beyond software and enter a crowded consumer AI hardware race already attracting large amounts of capital. The company’s first device would also put a ChatGPT-linked product into living rooms, raising practical questions about privacy, always-on assistants, and how much access a home device should have to personal data.
What happens next
No release date or price has been disclosed. Until OpenAI confirms the product itself, the speaker should be treated as a reported plan rather than a shipped device.