OpenAI is developing smart speakers

Theo The InformationOpenAI is collaborating with designer Jony Ive to create a completely new hardware device ecosystem. The first product in the ecosystem is a smart speaker, released as early as February 2027 with prices ranging from 200 to 300 USD.

Unlike current smart speakers, the new device integrates a camera and facial recognition technology similar to Face ID on the iPhone. It has the ability to understand the context, observe the user, and recognize the surrounding environment to make proactive suggestions instead of just waiting for commands.

In an internal presentation, OpenAI described how the device helps people in personalized ways, such as suggesting users go to bed early if they know they have an important meeting the next morning. Sam Altman called it “the coolest piece of tech the world has ever seen”, while Jony Ive described the device as “peaceful” and a “positive companion” rather than an annoyance.

Although it’s called a smart speaker, the device is pocket-sized and doesn’t have a screen. This is the design philosophy Jony Ive and Sam Altman pursued when they wanted to create a product to replace the iPhone but without making users dependent on the screen.

Besides smart speakers, OpenAI is also researching smart lights and virtual reality glasses, but these projects are still in the early stages and unlikely to appear before 2028.

Despite gathering a strong staff with many engineers who worked for Apple such as Evans Hankey, Tang Tan or Scott Cannon, the project is facing some barriers. Internal sources said there was tension between OpenAI’s technical team and Jony Ive’s design company LoveFrom. LoveFrom operates independently and provides hardware sketches, but OpenAI complains about delays in design modifications and excessive security from partners.

The OpenAI smart speaker will compete directly with the Home Hub – a speaker model also said to be coming soon from Apple, integrating a camera and improved Siri. The new race will reshape the way people interact with technology in the living space, when AI is no longer in mobile applications but exists directly through hardware.