OpenAI is reportedly planning to introduce AI-powered earbuds as its first device, with a formal announcement expected during the second half of the year.
This might mark a major shift in how people are using ChatGPT and other models from the company, Gizbot reported.
What To Expect?
Sam Altman earlier spoke about coming up with a "small family of devices," which is focused on reimagining how people interact with computers. In 2025, Altman as well as former Apple design chief Jony Ive said the company has a prototype for the AI product.
According to Axios, chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane recently said that the company is "on track" to introduce its first device in the second half of 2026.
After acquiring former Ive's
Multiple reports and leaks have suggested that the debut device from OpenAI could be AI-focused earbuds, which are expected to be different from the wireless earphones currently available in the market from other brands.
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It is being said that these will run on a custom 2-nanometer chip and remain well integrated with AI tools, such as ChatGPT. What makes them different is that they could process several AI tasks on the device itself rather than routing every request to cloud servers.
Earlier, OpenAI hired Ive for hardware design work. They bought Ive's startup, io, for nearly $6.5 billion, Gizbot reported.
"We look forward to sharing our work with you next year," read a text in a promotional video that was released at the time of the acquisition.
Reports have suggested that the company could develop prototypes of small devices with no screen. These will be possibly wearable devices that will interact with users. Altman even stated that it will be more "peaceful" compared with a smartphone.
Multiple renders shared by observers highlight that the device might echo Apple's clean design style, going by Ive's previous works.
Taiwan Connection
A leading daily in Taiwan said that OpenAI was in talks with China-based Luxshare to manufacture the AI earbuds. The report added that even Foxconn, headquartered in Taiwan, is being looked upon as a possible production partner.
A final decision has not been announced yet, since negotations are going on.
Also, there are plans to have a significant amount of AI earbuds as OpenAI is looking to ship nearly 40-50 million units during the first year itself.
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