OpenAI's first hardware device is reportedly a screen-free speaker that can move

OpenAI’s first consumer hardware product is reportedly a screen-free, movable smart speaker built with designer Jony Ive’s studio, targeted to be unveiled later in 2026 and to ship in 2027.

The device would run an advanced version of ChatGPT Voice Mode and include a camera, environmental sensors and a rechargeable battery, according to people familiar with the plans. Motorized parts are meant to make the object seem alive rather than static, and it is pitched internally as a humanlike AI companion for the home.

OpenAI developed the product with Ive’s LoveFrom design studio through io, the hardware startup OpenAI acquired for $6.5 billion. It would mark the company’s first move from software into consumer devices, a bet that a dedicated gadget can host an AI assistant more naturally than a phone app.

The reported timeline intersects with a legal fight. Apple sued OpenAI on July 10 over alleged trade-secret theft, accusing OpenAI chief hardware officer Tang Tan of directing Apple employees to share confidential information. OpenAI has said the device “veers significantly” from anything Apple currently sells.

OpenAI has not confirmed the product, its design or its release schedule, and the details rest on unnamed sources rather than any company disclosure. A screen-free, moving speaker also carries its own risks: always-on cameras and microphones in the home have drawn privacy scrutiny for every smart-speaker maker before it.