OpenAI is apparently working on a new smart speaker due to launch in 2027, according to a new report.
The Information (via 9to5Mac, Engadget) reports that OpenAI’s first hardware product in collaboration with ex-Apple designer Jony Ive will be a smart speaker, presumably powered by ChatGPT. The report says that “over 200 employees” are “dedicated” to this project and the current plan is to launch the device sometime in early 2027 – at the earliest.
The price target is apparently $200-$300.
What would this smart speaker do?
The report describes the unnamed OpenAI smart speaker being able to use an on-board camera to gather information about its surroundings, scan the user’s face for Face ID-like authentication when making purchases, and being able to identify objects surrounding it. The speaker would apparently also be able to listen in on nearby conversations.
Top comment by Arthur
This OpenAI device sounds very odd to say the least. It has a camera that can scan its surroundings and give you info about it? Why would I want a device that is I imagine meant to be location fixed or let's say it's not meant to be fixed and it's something like a Rabbit R1 but more robust with a larger speaker but still small enough to be mobile, how is it any better than me launching the ChatGPT app on my phone and point it to anything I want cause you know, my phone has a camera and more than capable speakers and get the same result?
I'll reserve judgment but so far it sounds like we've got another Humane AI Pin flop on our hands.
The report says in part:
The smart speaker—the first device OpenAI will release—is likely to be priced between $200 and $300, according to two people with knowledge of it. The speaker will have a camera, enabling it to take in information about its users and their surroundings, such as items on a nearby table or conversations people are having in the vicinity, according to one of the people. It will also allow people to buy things by identifying them with a facial recognition feature similar to Apple’s Face ID, the people said.
It all sounds very advanced and ambitious, whereas Google seems to be taking a more tame approach with its smart speaker reboot. The Google Home Speaker, likely to start shipping in the next couple of months, is mostly just new hardware for the upgraded Gemini experience that Google started previewing last year.
Also mentioned in the report is that OpenAI is also working on smart glasses and a smart lamp, but there aren’t many details on those, but there are reports of OpenAI hardware still coming in 2026.
More on OpenAI:
- OpenAI is planning to launch hardware ‘later in the year’
- ChatGPT ads are coming, and they’re not exactly subtle [Gallery]
- OpenAI’s eerily realistic AI video generation app, Sora, is now on Android
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