OpenAI's first device could be a donut-shaped smart speaker: What to expect

Bloomberg's report reveals new details about OpenAI's first consumer hardware, including its design, price and how it fits into the company's AI-first device ambitions

OpenAI's anticipated push into consumer hardware is beginning to take shape. Months after reports first suggested the ChatGPT maker was working on an AI companion with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, Bloomberg has revealed that OpenAI's first mass market hardware product could be a portable, screenless AI companion.

 

According to the report, the device will resemble a doughnut roughly the size of a hockey puck, making it small enough to carry around the house with one hand. It is expected to cost between $300 and $400 and is currently slated for release in 2027. Rather than being another smart speaker, OpenAI reportedly sees it as an AI-first computer designed to help users complete everyday tasks through natural conversations.

What to expect

Bloomberg reported that OpenAI's first device will not feature a display. Instead, it will rely on microphones, speakers, cameras and environmental sensors to interact with users and understand its surroundings. It is also expected to include a rechargeable battery, allowing it to move from room to room instead of remaining plugged into a fixed location.

The report added that the device will feature moving mechanical components and lighting elements that indicate when it is listening or responding. According to Bloomberg, these features are intended to make interactions feel more natural and expressive. The AI companion is also expected to learn more about its owner over time, enabling increasingly personalised conversations instead of responding only to direct commands.

 

The device is expected to be powered by OpenAI's latest conversational AI technology, enabling more natural voice interactions than today's smart speakers. Earlier reports also suggested that it would control smart home devices, answer questions, play media and access ChatGPT's capabilities while understanding a user's context through onboard sensors.

Jony Ive's role

The hardware project marks the first major collaboration between OpenAI and former Apple design chief Jony Ive. Earlier this year, OpenAI completed the acquisition of io Products, the startup co-founded by Ive, bringing his hardware team into the company. Bloomberg reported that Ive's design firm, LoveFrom, is leading the industrial design of the new product alongside several former Apple designers and engineers involved in creating products such as the iPhone and Mac.

 

The project has also become part of an ongoing legal dispute with Apple, which has accused OpenAI of misappropriating trade secrets related to future hardware development. OpenAI has denied the allegations and maintains that its first hardware product is fundamentally different from anything Apple currently offers. 

Beyond smart speakers

Although the first product resembles a smart speaker, Bloomberg reported that OpenAI sees it as the starting point for a broader hardware strategy rather than a direct competitor to devices such as Amazon Echo or Google Nest. The company's longer term ambition is to develop AI first devices that could eventually reduce reliance on smartphones.

 

Earlier reports suggest OpenAI has also explored products such as smart glasses, wearable AI devices, AI pins and home robotics as part of a wider hardware ecosystem. While the company has not confirmed those plans publicly, the latest details indicate that its first AI companion is intended to serve as the foundation for a new category of AI native computing devices.