OpenAI’s highly-anticipated new smart home device is reportedly a small, $300 doughnut-shaped speaker with cameras, movable parts and advanced technological capabilities.
The Silicon Valley tech firm’s new product-in-development is essentially a smart speaker without a display, designed to be the size of a hockey puck so it’s easy to move around the home with one hand, according to a Bloomberg report.
OpenAI is looking to launch the product in 2027, marketing it as an AI-first computer that can help users check things off their to-do lists throughout the day, the report said.
The moveable parts are meant to give it more personality and seem more lively while it’s interacting with the user, according to the report.
Its unique design could also help OpenAI stand out from a plethora of smart home speakers from rivals Amazon, Alphabet and especially Apple, which has filed litigation accusing OpenAI of stealing its product designs.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
It is the first of an ambitious suite of new-age devices that OpenAI plans to eventually offer, with the smart speaker seen as the safest bet to start with – as smart glasses that record video and audio face mounting privacy concerns.
The new battery-powered smart device – which was made in collaboration with Jony Ives, Apple’s longtime designer – will have speaker grills and microphones so it can converse with customers, as well as lights to show when it’s listening.
It will also come equipped with a camera system and sensors that can feed visual information about its surroundings – like the customer’s home – into the AI bot, according to the report.
The device’s advanced tech is designed to learn more about the user over time, so it can tailor their conversations – and act more like a human.
It will be battery-powered and able to work from different spots around the house, like placed on a kitchen counter or held in a user’s hand, the report said.
In a recent suit, Apple claimed OpenAI asked a longtime Apple supplier to develop a metal finishing technique for a new product that is similar to what the iPhone maker already offers.
OpenAI dismissed the claims, saying the lawsuit is “too vague and generalized.”
It’s unclear if the prototype Apple was referring to is the doughnut-shaped product in development, or a separate new device.
Internally, OpenAI is pushing full-steam ahead on its new device despite the legal battle, according to Bloomberg.
Consumers have started to grow wary of smart devices, especially wearables, amid reports of people being secretly filmed in public places – like the gym or spa – and fears of their faces being logged in unknown databases.
Standard smart speakers, like Amazon’s Echo, come equipped with motion sensors, not built-in cameras – but newer versions with display screens, like the popular Echo Show models, have cameras, as well.
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