Report: OpenAI’s upcoming AI speaker will be shaped like a donut and cost around $300

Report: OpenAI’s upcoming AI speaker will be shaped like a donut and cost around $300 More details have emerged from Bloomberg about OpenAI Group PBC’s long-awaited hardware device, which was previously described as an artificial intelligence-enabled speaker that will be a “physical manifestation” of ChatGPT. In its latest report, Bloomberg described the upcoming device as having a “ring-like” shape and said the company is looking at pricing it at around $300. OpenAI has been working on the highly secretive device for several months already, and few people had any inkling about its plans until a few weeks ago. Back then, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman broke the news that the company was planning to launch a battery-powered portable speaker, similar to something like Amazon.com Inc.’s Echo. The report said it would be equipped with a camera and other sensors, plus “mechanical elements that can move on their own, creating a sense that it is alive and not just an object responding to commands.” OpenAI is believed to be developing five different products in total, Gurman’s new report today said, but it wants to begin with the speaker. The plan is to have a big reveal sometime this year ahead of its launch in early 2027. However, he added that this timeline could change, depending on how Apple Inc.’s lawsuit against OpenAI goes. The iPhone maker is suing OpenAI for allegedly using trade secrets that were stolen by its former employees who then joined the AI firm to help it develop its physical products. The reported price of OpenAI’s speaker will put it in the higher-end of such products. The company seems to think it can get away with charging a higher price because of its brand name and the fact that the device will have a “premium look” due to its use of “upscale materials like high-quality metal,” the report said. “The product — essentially a smart speaker without a display — will be shaped like a doughnut that’s roughly the size of a hockey puck. (…) And the design should help it stand out from current smart speakers, a category dominated by Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google,” Gurman wrote. According to the report, the speaker is being designed to “work in different positions,” such as being held in someone’s hand or by being placed on furniture around the house. The moving parts are an attempt to make the device feel “more alive,” and it will be powered by OpenAI’s most advanced models to support natural, humanlike voice interactions similar to ChatGPT’s newly revamped voice mode. Earlier this week, OpenAI filed a motion to dismiss Apple’s lawsuit against it. The company is arguing that Apple failed to identify specific trade secrets or plausibly allege that it engaged in improper conduct. It says that Apple’s complaint frames “ordinary conduct” out of context and has been filed “without adequate investigation.” It’s believed that former Apple design chief Jony Ive is designing the device for OpenAI. The AI firm acquired Ive’s io device startup last year, adding multiple former Apple design team members to its hardware teams. Gurman noted that the portable speaker “is not something Apple has come close to launching,” which supports OpenAI’s claim that it has no interest in Apple’s trade secrets. OpenAI is therefore arguing that it is “building something entirely new and different from anything at Apple.” Apple maintains OpenAI has developed its hardware using information sourced from Apple. Photo: OpenAI A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE: Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities. 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network. Are you AWS customer? Support SiliconANGLE Financially by buying your AWS services from our Marketplace portal page and links. About SiliconANGLE Media SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI. Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.