The first piece of hardware from OpenAI and former Apple design chief Jony Ive is shaping up to be a smart speaker — and, according to leaked details now circulating widely, an unusually animated one.
Ars Technica, summarizing a report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, says the device will use moving parts to make it seem "more alive" rather than sitting inert on a shelf like a conventional speaker. That's the detail separating this from the Echo-and-HomePod category it would otherwise land in: instead of a glowing ring or a light bar to signal that it's listening, the gadget would physically move.
CNET describes the design as doughnut-shaped. Mezha, reporting on the same leak, characterizes it as a "living" AI speaker and puts the price at $300 to $400 — a range PCMag Australia also cites, framing it as costing up to $400. TechRepublic reports the device could launch in 2027, which would put it a long way out from today.
Ars Technica also notes the Gurman report claims OpenAI has pushed back on the idea that the product is an Apple knockoff — an unavoidable comparison given Ive's history and the HomePod-adjacent product category.
Everything here comes from leaks rather than an OpenAI announcement, so specifics like shape, price, and timing can shift or evaporate before anything ships.
It matters because OpenAI has so far reached people through apps and browsers, and a physical, moving device in your living room would be its first attempt to make AI something you live alongside rather than something you open — at a price point that asks consumers to bet real money on that idea.