OpenAI is developing a battery-powered mobile smart speaker that aims to be a "humanlike AI companion," according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The device would be the AI startup's first hardware product, entering a smart speaker market where current offerings from Apple, Amazon, and Google have seen little meaningful evolution.
Unlike stationary home speakers, OpenAI's model will be portable, with a built-in camera to understand its surroundings. It will also include "mechanical elements that can move on their own, creating a sense that it is alive and not just an object responding to commands," Gurman reported. The speaker is expected to lack a display, instead relying on voice and physical movement to engage users. It will control smart-home appliances, play media, answer questions, respond to messages, and tap into the full range of ChatGPT's capabilities.
"OpenAI believes the product's defining feature will be its personality and ability to connect on a humanlike level with users," Gurman added. That emphasis on emotional connection marks a departure from the transactional interactions typical of Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
Room for disruption in the smart speaker market
Current smart speakers from major tech companies have stalled. Amazon's next-generation Alexa+ subscription is still a work in progress and requires a Prime or standalone subscription to unlock advanced features. Google's Gemini for Home assistant is free, but free-flowing conversations via Gemini Live demand a paid Google Home subscription. Apple's revamped Siri AI is not yet available on HomePod speakers. As the market waits for software upgrades, OpenAI's hardware-first approach could offer a fresh template for AI for Product Development that blends physical expressiveness with conversational intelligence.
Apple talent and legal hurdles
Jony Ive, Apple's former Chief Design Officer, is now working with OpenAI to help shape its first hardware products. Evans Hankey, Apple's former head of industrial design, is overseeing the speaker's development, Gurman reported. Apple's lawsuit alleging trade-secret theft notes that OpenAI hired more than 400 Apple employees in recent months. The legal dispute could affect OpenAI's product development timeline, though an unveiling before the end of the year and a 2027 release remain possible, according to the report.
Why this matters for product development
OpenAI's speaker signals a shift from utility-driven AI hardware to products that prioritize emotional resonance. The inclusion of moving parts to create a sense of aliveness and the decision to omit a display push designers toward a more physical, companion-like form factor. Product developers can study how OpenAI integrates ChatGPT's conversational abilities into a standalone device-an approach that may redefine differentiation in a crowded market. Legal risk is also a practical takeaway: aggressive hiring from competitors can accelerate hardware development but can trigger intellectual property battles that delay or reshape product roadmaps. Understanding the underlying AI, including platforms like those covered in OpenAI Courses, can help teams anticipate how such capabilities might be embedded in physical products.
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