Update, August 8, 2026: A new Bloomberg report now names the device’s shape, price range, and timeline – more in the update: OpenAI plans speaker in donut shape for over 300 dollars.
OpenAI is developing its first own hardware product, according to a report by the news agency Bloomberg: a movable speaker without a screen, meant to serve as a constant AI companion in the home. The device is one of roughly five hardware projects OpenAI is working on together with the design studio io, acquired in 2025 from Jony Ive.
Speaker combines camera, sensors, and movable mechanics
The device has no screen but comes with a camera and several sensors meant to sense its surroundings. Mechanical elements allow it to move on its own, meant to make the speaker feel more alive than a classic smart speaker. A battery allows cable-free operation, according to TechCrunch. The device can be carried between kitchen, living room, and bedroom, or run permanently plugged in. The AI models built in are said to be more capable than those in conventional smart speakers from Amazon or Google.
OpenAI internally positions the speaker as a physical embodiment of ChatGPT with its own personality. The product is meant to adapt to its owner over time, learning habits and gaining access to digital services such as email. Numerous former Apple engineers who previously worked on the iPhone and Mac are also reportedly involved in development, according to Bloomberg. Jony Ive joined OpenAI in May 2025 through the acquisition of his studio io into OpenAI and has since co-led the company’s hardware division. A camera and constant access to personal data are also likely to raise privacy questions.
Apple accuses OpenAI of stealing trade secrets
The hardware plans emerge amid a legal dispute with Apple. The company filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on July 10, 2026, in a federal court in Northern California. It accuses the company and two former Apple employees of stealing confidential information about unreleased products. Named are OpenAI’s hardware chief Tang Tan, a former Apple product design lead for iPhone and Apple Watch who spent 24 years at the company, and former Apple systems engineer Chang Liu. Tan allegedly used internal Apple code names during recruiting and asked candidates to bring Apple components to interviews. Liu allegedly kept an Apple laptop and downloaded confidential technical documents.
OpenAI communications director Drew Pusateri responded the same day on X: the company has no interest in other companies’ trade secrets and remains focused on building its own technology. A few days later, OpenAI additionally stated it was not aware of any evidence supporting Apple’s claims. According to the Bloomberg report, the planned speaker device differs significantly from Apple’s current products, making a trade-secret violation unlikely.
More hardware devices are set to follow
The speaker is just one of several devices OpenAI is developing in parallel, according to Bloomberg. OpenAI acquired io in 2025 for roughly $6.5 billion to bring hardware expertise in-house. Longer term, a mobile AI device is meant to emerge that could replace smartphones. The company has also reportedly explored wearables in the form of pendants and approaches to home robotics. An earlier legal dispute over the iyO trademark established that the current device may count as neither a wearable nor an in-ear product. That distinction gains added weight in light of the Apple lawsuit.
At the time of disclosure, none of the sources gave a timeline or price for the speaker. OpenAI had not officially commented on the product details. The information came exclusively from Bloomberg’s report, which cites people familiar with the matter and is independently unverified. An official unveiling of the device by OpenAI itself therefore remained pending, as did a company statement on the technical details.
What will matter is whether OpenAI actually brings the device to market while Apple’s lawsuit continues in the background, with discovery likely to reach into internal hardware documents. It also remains open how an AI speaker with access to email and daily habits can differentiate itself from established players like Amazon or Google without raising fresh privacy concerns.
