OpenAI‘s first hardware product is reportedly a screenless smart speaker with a physical movement capability, designed to act as an AI companion. Bloomberg reports the device is still under development and is pitched internally as a ‘humanlike AI companion that lives in the home.’ It is described as having a ‘personality’ that learns about its owner proactively over time, drawing on access to a user’s digital life such as emails. The device includes ‘mechanical elements that can move on their own’ and is intended to be a physical manifestation of ChatGPT.

The product was developed with help from former Apple engineers who worked on the iPhone and Mac. However, the project faces a legal backdrop: Apple recently sued OpenAI, accusing the AI company of stealing trade secrets. Apple described the allegations as ‘the tip of the iceberg.’ OpenAI has denied wrongdoing. Citing anonymous sources, Bloomberg reports that OpenAI believes its new product ‘veers significantly from anything Apple has on the market today’ and that it is ‘unlikely that it violates trade secrets’ belonging to Apple.

OpenAI‘s push into hardware comes amid growing excitement in the consumer AI hardware category. Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised a $700 million Series A at a $6 billion valuation to build ‘personal intelligence’ — custom hardware paired with proprietary AI models — though it has not yet detailed its device’s form factor. The investment underscores the large amount of capital chasing this space before products have shipped.