OpenAI aims to ship first device in 2026, and it could be earphones

OpenAI generated a lot of hardware hype last year after acquiring former Apple design chief Jony Ive’s startup io. Although the company has been tight-lipped about future products, OpenAI’s chief international affairs officer Chris Lehane said during a panel discussion hosted by Axios at Davos that the AI ​​startup plans to unveil its first hardware device in the second half of this year.

Last November, Sam Altman said the potential device would be “more peaceful and serene” than the iPhone. Previous reports have suggested that the company wants to develop a pocketable device without a screen.

Although the company hasn’t revealed any details, recent reports from Asian publications and leakers suggest that OpenAI’s first device could be earphones. According to reports, the device is codenamed “Sweet Pea” and will have a unique design compared to existing earphones. The earbuds run on a custom 2-nanometer processor that can handle AI tasks locally instead of sending requests to the cloud.

Another report in a major Taiwanese newspaper notes that OpenAI is exploring a manufacturing partnership with China-based Luxshare, but could end up leaning toward Taiwan’s Foxconn. The report also states that OpenAI aims to ship 40 million to 50 million units in the first year of sales.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has nearly 1 billion weekly users, but the company must rely on other devices and platforms for distribution. You might want to use your own device to have more control over the development and distribution of your AI assistant and release dedicated, proprietary features.

However, without strong integration with the operating system, it will be difficult to replace existing earphones such as AirPods in users’ daily lives.

So far, there have been no outstanding success stories for AI devices. Last year, Humane Pin was sold to HP. The Rabbits are still going strong after the initial hype in 2024. And the Friend AI companion necklace quickly received backlash for its marketing strategy.

Still, big tech companies are moving into the wearables space. Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses are getting better and better in scope and scale, to the point where Facebook manufacturers can’t keep up with demand. And Amazon recently acquired Bee, an AI meeting recorder that can moonlight as a companion.