OpenAI Bets $400 on a Smart Speaker That Wants to Feel Alive

OpenAI Bets $400 on a Smart Speaker That Wants to Feel Alive
OpenAI is reportedly asking a hard question of consumers: will they pay smartphone-level money for a small speaker that talks back, moves and tries to feel less like an appliance? Its answer appears to be a premium ChatGPT device, even as smart speakers have struggled to become a lucrative category.

Reports trace the project to OpenAI’s work with LoveFrom, the design studio led by former Apple designer Jony Ive. The battery-powered device is said to be doughnut-shaped, roughly hockey-puck sized and easy to carry around a home. It would pair lights with independently moving components designed to signal when it is listening or responding — an effort to make it seem “more alive than today’s stationary speaker products.”

The proposed hardware is more than a conventional voice assistant. It would operate broadly like ChatGPT’s mobile voice mode, but use more advanced models for “humanlike interactivity,” while also controlling smart-home devices. Reports say it could include a camera system and other sensors, positioning it as a pocketable personal assistant rather than simply an Alexa-style speaker.

That ambition comes with a steep price. OpenAI has reportedly discussed a $300-to-$400 price tag, well above most display-free smart speakers. The company is effectively betting that ChatGPT’s large user base will pay for dedicated hardware — despite already having access to the chatbot on phones and computers, and despite advanced ChatGPT features carrying their own subscription costs.

The timeline remains unsettled. Bloomberg reporting cited in the accounts says OpenAI could unveil the device this year and target a 2027 release. But Apple’s trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI could complicate the plan; OpenAI reportedly conducted an internal review and concluded the speaker did not use Apple intellectual property. The company has declined to comment on its product roadmap.

If it arrives, the speaker would follow OpenAI’s $230 Codex Micro mini keyboard and could inaugurate a broader device family. The real test will be whether a puck-sized ChatGPT companion can make premium AI hardware feel indispensable — rather than merely animated.

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