This is the iPhone killer that Jony Ive and former Apple designers are working on at OpenAI

At long last, more details have emerged about the product that OpenAI has been working on to take on the smartphone. What makes this particular device stand out is that former Apple designer Jony Ive, as well as several other figures who have recently departed the company for OpenAI, are working on it.

In a detailed new report from industry insider Mark Gurman, OpenAI’s upcoming product has leaked with juicy details, a hazy roadmap, and a potential release window.

OpenAI’s AI-powered companion

What OpenAI has been working on is a portable speaker that has no display. Like your smartphone, it’s meant to be carried around with you, though online inside your home for now.

In the report (subscription required), details have emerged about OpenAI’s plan to take on the smartphone market. This speaker, for example, is meant to be a much more personal companion than your iPhone has ever been.

Powered by a smarter version of ChatGPT’s voice mode, the speaker will engage in human-like conversation. As time passes, it will learn more about its user and start becoming proactive in everyday life.

OpenAI doesn’t plan to keep it devoid of a screen forever, and this is just the start. According to Gurman, the speaker will also incorporate moving mechanical parts so that it feels a lot more alive. It will also feature a camera and several other sensors to better understand its surroundings.


OpenAI plans to unveil this device later this very year, though a release is still planned for next year instead. As hinted at above, future iterations will very likely feature displays as well. The idea is to create the next iPhone moment and completely upend the smartphone industry.

Apple’s lawsuit has hindered development

According to the report, Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI has slightly hindered development of the speaker. The lawsuit might stop OpenAI from being able to sell devices for a short period of time.

OpenAI has hired over 400 Apple employees, and the latter’s former designer Jony Ive is also working on the former’s upcoming slate of devices. Recently, OpenAI also poached another longtime senior Apple executive — Paul Meade — who was leading the development of the Vision Pro line and Apple’s upcoming smart glasses.

OpenAI has denied any claims of deliberately targeting Apple and says that the product that it is working on is vastly different to anything that Apple has ever made.

Your very own AI companion

This smart speaker is just the beginning and OpenAI has a number of other devices planned as well. According to Gurman, the speaker will stand out from smartphones and other similar products because of how intimately it will connect with its user, to the point that it might even become an expert on said user.


For now, the speaker is designed to be kept around the house, though I’m sure that OpenAI is working on something to directly tackle modern flagship smartphones. Whether the company’s products will be able to interface with existing phones is not clear at the moment.

I’m stoked for this

I know many people get hung up on modern AI, but I absolutely adore it, apart from it replacing people in the workplace, of course. What OpenAI is working on sounds like something straight out of the movies I used to watch wide-eyed as a kid, and I can’t wait to see this speaker in action.

If it can actually converse with users like a human and if it really does become a proactive part of their lives, then this might be a historical moment in the making. I’m just ever so slightly puzzled on which new line of products is more capable of replacing smartphones, smart glasses or AI companions?

If I had to guess, it is likely a mixture of both. Perhaps OpenAI’s ultimate device will just be smart glasses but super intelligent and proactive like this speaker.

We still have time to see where the industry goes from here. After all, OpenAI is just getting started.

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