OpenAI's New Device Will Be Hockey Puck-Sized And Cost Over $300

A highly anticipated new device from OpenAI will have a unique look, complete with moving parts that help give it personality, and likely cost more than $300, according to people familiar with the matter.

The product - essentially a smart speaker without a display - will be shaped like a doughnut that's roughly the size of a hockey puck, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is confidential. The idea is to make the device easy to carry around the home with one hand.

OpenAI is looking to break new ground with the product, which is slated for release in 2027. The device will be positioned as an AI-first computer that can help users get things done, the people said. And the design should help it stand out from current smart speakers, a category dominated by Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google.

The new hardware will also give OpenAI a chance to show that it's not cribbing from Apple Inc.'s designs. The two companies are locked in a legal battle over whether the AI firm stole Apple's intellectual property, something OpenAI denies.

A representative for San Francisco-based OpenAI declined to comment on its product plans.

Though OpenAI eventually plans to offer a family of devices, the smart speaker is seen as a way to ease into the market. Other types of always-on AI gadgets, such as smart glasses, have raised concerns about privacy.

OpenAI expects users to rely on the smart speaker throughout the day. It will work similarly to the company's ChatGPT voice mode on smartphone apps, but with more advanced models for humanlike interactivity. The device is designed to learn more about a user over time, letting it tailor conversations and act more like a real person.

The circle-shaped device will include parts that move on their own, according to the people. That will help show when it's responding and interacting with the user. The goal is to make the object feel more alive than today's stationary speaker products.

The product will have speaker grills and microphones for fielding commands and conversing with users. The battery-powered item will be designed to work in different positions in a user's hand, say, or placed on a nightstand or kitchen counter.

OpenAI is also planning to include lights on the device to demonstrate when it's listening and make interactions feel more personal. A camera system and other sensors, meanwhile, will perceive the surrounding environment and feed visual information into the AI. Bloomberg News first reported some early details about the device last month.

Over the longer run, OpenAI aims to build a device business and - someday - offer something that could replace today's smartphones.

The speaker product was designed in collaboration with Jony Ive's LoveFrom studio. Ive, who also co-founded a device startup that OpenAI acquired last year, made his name devising the look and feel of the iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch.

Like Ive's previous offerings, the new device will have a premium look and use upscale materials like high-quality metal. OpenAI has discussed pricing of $300 to $400 per unit, which would be more than most smart speakers but less than a standard iPhone.

A metal design was cited in Apple's lawsuit against OpenAI. The iPhone maker claimed that OpenAI asked a long-running Apple supplier to develop a metal finishing technique for an upcoming product that's similar to what it offers.

OpenAI and its cohorts misled the partner to believe they had Apple's permission to have the partner carry out the confidential metal-finishing technique for OpenAI's benefit," according to the suit.

OpenAI described the claim as "too vague and generalized." And it's unclear if the lawsuit is referring to the the doughnut-shaped device, another product or a scrapped concept.

But the ring-shaped form factor - or the idea of an easily totable smart speaker -is not something Apple has come close to launching. Though it sells a HomePod speaker line, it doesn't have a battery-powered version and hasn't yet released an AI-centric home device.

It is, however, working on innovative home products for the future. That includes a smart home hub with a display that attaches to a robotic limb. The approach will allow the device to move around in space, letting it face a person talking to it or show a different view during a FaceTime video chat.

People with knowledge of the first OpenAI device say the company believes that the product doesn't use or violate any Apple trade secrets. OpenAI investigated the issue with an internal probe following Apple's lawsuit filing, they said.

The company emphasized that point in a motion to dismiss Apple's lawsuit late Wednesday.

"OpenAI is building something entirely new and different from anything at Apple," the filing said.

Still, Apple's request this week for an injunction against OpenAI - if granted - could complicate the new product's release. OpenAI has long sought to unveil the device this year and then make it available in 2027.

Internally, OpenAI continues to push full speed ahead on its device, according to the people.

OpenAI has sought to characterize Apple's accusations as "careless, aggressive and oddly personal." A lawyer for OpenAI wrote to a member of Apple's legal representatives to say the suit was "predicated on a misrepresentation of facts and allegations that are speculative at best."

"You are attacking ordinary business practices," the lawyer, Patrick Curran of Quinn Emanuel, wrote to the iPhone maker. "You are complaining about situations that you have caused, including through your own procedures and decisions."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)