OpenAI Bets on Screenless 'AI Companion' Hardware

OpenAI is preparing to enter the consumer hardware market with a mobile, screen-free smart speaker, according to reporting from Bloomberg via the Financial Post and TechCrunch. Described internally as a "humanlike AI companion," the device is intended to function as a new type of home computer for the AI era.

The device, which remains under development, will integrate with ChatGPT to answer questions, respond to messages, and control smart-home appliances. According to the Financial Post, OpenAI acquired io Products last year for US$6.5 billion to expand its device business. The product is designed to be proactive and personalized, learning about its owner over time by accessing digital data such as emails. TechCrunch notes that the device is described as having a "personality" and incorporating "mechanical elements that can move on their own."

This push puts OpenAI in direct competition with Alphabet Inc.'s Google, Amazon.com Inc., and Apple Inc. The hardware effort involves several former Apple engineers who worked on the Mac and iPhone. However, the move comes amid legal turmoil; Apple sued OpenAI last week, alleging the theft of trade secrets. While Apple claims these allegations are only "the tip of the iceberg," sources told the Financial Post that OpenAI believes the device differs significantly from Apple's current offerings and likely does not violate any trade secrets.

The broader sector is seeing significant investment. TechCrunch reports that Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised $700 million in a May Series A round at a $6 billion valuation to develop "personal intelligence" hardware.