Jony Ive’s first OpenAI gadget is reportedly a hockey puck-sized smart speaker
What's happening
OpenAI is developing a smart speaker device with renowned designer Jony Ive, and the gadget is taking shape as a battery-powered, hockey puck-sized speaker without a display. The project represents a significant move by OpenAI into hardware, with the device expected to launch in the coming months.
Who's involved
Jony Ive, the British-American designer best known as Apple's former senior vice-president of industrial design and chief design officer, is collaborating with OpenAI, the San Francisco-based AI research organization behind ChatGPT. Ive founded LoveFrom, a creative collective that counts OpenAI among its clients.
Why it matters
The device signals OpenAI's ambitions to move beyond software and establish a consumer hardware presence, leveraging one of the world's most acclaimed designers. Success could reshape how users interact with AI in their daily lives, while also positioning OpenAI to compete directly with established smart speaker makers and challenge Apple's dominance in premium consumer devices.
The story
OpenAI's foray into hardware is taking concrete form with a novel smart speaker design created in collaboration with Jony Ive, one of the technology industry's most influential designers. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the device is roughly the size of a hockey puck, doughnut-shaped, and battery-powered—essentially a smart speaker without a visual display component. The hardware is expected to launch within the coming months.
Jony Ive brings exceptional credentials to the project. The British-American designer spent his career at Apple Inc., where he served as senior vice-president of industrial design and chief design officer, overseeing the aesthetic direction of iconic products that defined the company for decades. After departing Apple, Ive founded LoveFrom, a creative collective that works with major global brands including Ferrari, Airbnb, and OpenAI. His involvement signals OpenAI's commitment to hardware design quality and consumer appeal.
OpenAI itself has established itself as the dominant force in generative AI since releasing ChatGPT in November 2022, an event widely credited with catalyzing the recent AI boom. The organization, headquartered in San Francisco and structured as a for-profit public benefit corporation partially controlled by its nonprofit foundation, develops the GPT series of large language models. Until now, the company's presence has been almost entirely software-based, with users accessing its AI primarily through web interfaces and API integrations.
The introduction of a dedicated hardware device marks a strategic shift for OpenAI. A small, portable smart speaker without a display suggests the company is designing for voice-first interaction, positioning the device for use cases where screens are impractical or undesirable. The battery-powered form factor implies portability and independence from wall outlets, distinguishing it from many existing smart speakers on the market.
The timing and design philosophy also represent a potential challenge to Apple's ecosystem. While Apple has established itself as a premium hardware maker, the collaboration between OpenAI and Ive could create a compelling alternative for users seeking deep AI integration in a thoughtfully designed, portable device. The project underscores a broader trend of AI companies expanding into consumer hardware to create more direct user relationships and control the experience end-to-end.