OpenAI builds moving screenless speaker amid Apple trade secrets suit

OpenAI is stepping into consumer electronics with a mobile, screenless smart speaker designed to act as a physical manifestation of ChatGPT. The device is currently under development and relies on integrated AI to sync with the chatbot and manage home services.

Unlike conventional smart speakers, the device features "mechanical elements that can move on their own" and is pitched internally as a "humanlike AI companion that lives in the home." Sources indicate the machine will develop a "personality" by proactively learning about its owner and accessing their digital life, including emails, to offer personalized interactions.

This hardware debut arrives at a delicate moment. Apple sued OpenAI last week, accusing the AI company of stealing trade secrets and warning the public allegations are merely "the tip of the iceberg." OpenAI has denied any wrongdoing, arguing internally that its new product "veers significantly from anything Apple has on the market today" and is "unlikely that it violates trade secrets" belonging to the iPhone maker.

The speaker’s development has been guided by former Apple engineers who helped create the iPhone and Mac. Their involvement underscores a deepening talent war in the technology sector, while simultaneously raising the stakes in the ongoing legal dispute between the two companies.

OpenAI’s hardware ambitions reflect a broader surge of capital chasing consumer AI devices. In May, Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised an oversubscribed $700 million Series A at a $6 billion valuation to build "personal intelligence" hardware. Hark describes its still-undeveloped product as a "universal interface between humans and machines."

For investors tracking the artificial intelligence market, this funding scale highlights a sector where billions are committed before products actually ship. The emerging battle between established hardware giants and well-funded AI startups is set to aggressively disrupt the smart device market European consumers buy into.