OpenAI unveils its first device: a mobile ChatGPT companion

OpenAI Unveils Its First Device: A Mobile ChatGPT Companion

OpenAI's first foray into hardware would be a mobile smart speaker equipped with integrated AI capabilities that can sync with ChatGPT and provide other home AI services.

According to a Bloomberg report published on Tuesday, the device — which is still in development — is designed to be screenless and is internally described as a "human-like AI companion that lives at home."

OpenAI has long claimed its intention to launch a hardware product, with rumors suggesting the company might consider launching its own phone, a move that would put it in competition with Apple.

The new device from OpenAI appears to diverge from traditional smart speakers, as sources described the device to Bloomberg as having a "personality" and being capable of proactively learning about its owner over time, thus offering a more personalized service. The machine would have access to a user's digital life, relying on elements such as emails, according to the sources.

The device is also oddly described as involving "mechanical elements that can move by themselves," and the Bloomberg report includes the detail that the device is designed to "resemble a companion and become a physical manifestation of OpenAI's ChatGPT."

The device has been developed with the help of numerous former Apple engineers who played a key role in the "creation of products such as the iPhone and the Mac," Bloomberg writes. Indeed, OpenAI may be attempting to launch a new range of hardware, but the company is currently facing serious legal issues related to hardware.

Last week, Apple sued OpenAI, accusing the AI company of stealing its trade secrets. Apple also claimed that the allegations contained in the lawsuit are just "the tip of the iceberg" and that other wrongdoing will be revealed during the legal discovery process. OpenAI has denied any wrongdoing.

Citing anonymous sources familiar with OpenAI's plans, Bloomberg writes that the company believes its new product "deviates significantly from anything Apple currently offers on the market" and that it is "unlikely to violate trade secrets" owned by Apple.

OpenAI's initiative comes as the tech world becomes increasingly excited about consumer AI hardware. Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised $700 million in an oversubscribed Series A in May, with a valuation of $6 billion, to build what it calls "personal intelligence" — proprietary AI models associated with custom hardware designed as a "universal interface between humans and machines."

The company has yet to detail the form of its device, highlighting how much capital is seeking this category even before products are brought to market.