OpenAI is developing a portable smart speaker without a display, designed to serve as a “humanlike AI companion that lives in the home.” The device includes a camera, sensors to understand context, a rechargeable battery for portability, and mechanical elements that move on their own to create a sense of presence. It will be powered by ChatGPT and is priced to land between $200 and $300 when it launches in 2027.
This is OpenAI’s answer to the smart home, not as an appliance but as a conversational agent that learns user preferences over time and responds with increasing personalization and proactivity. The device can control smart home accessories, answer questions, play media, and respond to messages. Tone, personality, and the illusion of emotional awareness matter as much as raw capability.
As reported by Bloomberg, the speaker’s natural voice interaction will be powered by GPT-Live, a new generation of voice model that OpenAI introduced this month. Unlike typical voice assistants that process speech in isolation, GPT-Live listens and speaks simultaneously, using acknowledgment phrases like “mhmm” to signal active listening. This simulates a real conversation rather than the familiar back-and-forth of “wake word, listen, process, respond.” The device will be portable, with a rechargeable battery allowing it to move from room to room throughout the day, and includes moving mechanical parts that OpenAI frames as giving the device a sense of life and presence.
OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s startup io Products in May 2025 as part of a $6.5 billion deal. Ive, Apple’s former chief design officer, has been directing the hardware effort to create AI-first consumer products. The speaker is the first tangible output of that partnership. OpenAI is also developing a smart lamp and exploring AI glasses, but the speaker is the flagship device.
OpenAI has recruited significant design and engineering talent from Apple to execute this vision. Tang Tan, who led iPhone and Apple Watch product design as VP of product design at Apple, departed in February 2024 to work with Ive. More recently, OpenAI poached Paul Meade, who had been in charge of Apple Vision Pro and Apple’s smart glasses project. The talent concentration at OpenAI is undeniable.
To put a twist into OpenAI’s nascent hardware story, Apple filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California alleging that OpenAI orchestrated a months-long scheme to steal confidential information. Apple’s complaint centers on Tang Tan and electrical engineer Chang Liu, who Apple says directed Apple employees interviewing with OpenAI to provide details on unreleased devices, components, manufacturing processes, and vendor relationships.
Apple alleges that OpenAI instructed new hires on how to avoid detection when leaving Apple. According to the filing, Tang Tan warned employees not to tell Apple they had accepted OpenAI positions, allowing them to remain at Apple longer while gathering intelligence. The lawsuit also claims Tan improperly retained or obtained an internal Apple document marked “Need to Know” describing security procedures for departing employees, and that he shared this document with incoming hires at OpenAI before they gave notice to Apple.
OpenAI responded by saying it was “not aware of any evidence that this complaint has merit” and that it “believes in fair competition and allowing people the freedom to work wherever they choose.” The litigation is already creating friction. According to sources familiar with OpenAI’s plans, the lawsuit is squeezing OpenAI’s ability to recruit and creating drag on its device work long before a judge weighs in.
OpenAI has told sources that it still expects to announce the first hardware product this year and release it in 2027, though that timeline “could shift as OpenAI reviews Apple’s claims.” The lawsuit introduces legal and operational uncertainty at a critical moment. Apple could seek a preliminary injunction that restricts what OpenAI’s engineering team can do with proprietary knowledge, or it could impose discovery obligations that slow development while attorneys litigate the merits.
