OpenAI is reportedly developing a screenless smart speaker

OpenAI’s first foray into hardware is reported to be a mobile smart speaker with integrated AI capabilities that can sync with ChatGPT and provide other home AI services, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. The device is still under development and is being pitched internally as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home, according to Bloomberg. OpenAI has long claimed that it wants to launch a hardware product.

The device reportedly departs from traditional smart speakers: it is described as having a personality and being able to proactively learn about its owner over time, drawing on parts of a user’s digital life such as emails, according to Bloomberg’s sources. The device is described as involving mechanical elements that can move on their own and designed to feel like a companion, according to Bloomberg. It was developed with help from many former Apple engineers who worked on the iPhone and Mac, according to Bloomberg — a detail that lands awkwardly given OpenAI’s current legal exposure over hardware.

Apple sued OpenAI last week, accusing the company of stealing its trade secrets, and further alleged that more misconduct will be revealed during the legal discovery process. OpenAI, according to Bloomberg’s sources, feels its new product veers significantly from anything Apple currently offers and considers it unlikely that the device violates Apple’s trade secrets.

OpenAI’s push comes as investors show growing interest in consumer AI hardware more broadly. Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised an oversubscribed $700 million Series A — a startup’s first major round of venture capital funding — in May at a $6 billion valuation to build what it calls personal intelligence: AI models paired with custom hardware intended as an interface between humans and machines. Hark has not yet detailed its device’s form factor, underscoring how much capital is chasing this category even before products ship.

Why it matters

OpenAI’s move into physical hardware signals a shift from software-only models to integrated consumer devices, testing whether users want dedicated AI companions despite looming legal battles with established tech giants.