OpenAI’s long discussed AI hardware project is now taking shape, with Sam Altman and Jony Ive confirming that the first working prototypes are finally ready. They also said the debut device is expected to arrive in less than two years, signalling a new direction for how people may use AI in everyday life.
The device is widely seen as a small screenless product that you can carry in your pocket. It is tied to OpenAI’s 6.4 billion USD acquisition of Ive’s IO Products and is described as a third core device that sits alongside your phone and laptop. Altman compares the current smartphone era to walking through Times Square with constant alerts and distracting apps, while this new gadget aims to feel more like “sitting in the most beautiful cabin by a lake,” reducing digital noise instead of increasing it.
The vision behind the hardware focuses on ambient intelligence. The device is expected to learn about your daily life, understand context and choose the right moments to surface information. When no help is needed, it is designed to fade quietly into the background while the AI handles tasks on its own.
Ive’s approach brings a sense of playful minimalism to the product. He describes ideas that “teeter on appearing almost naive in their simplicity,” while Altman says the object is “simple and beautiful and playful.” They even mention a “lick or bite” test to show that the device should feel delightful and natural to hold. This hints at a product that blends technology with lifestyle appeal rather than looking like traditional consumer electronics.
For OpenAI, this device represents a strategic move to create an AI native interface that does not rely on existing smartphones made by other companies. It positions the company to shape how people use AI every day before major tech competitors define the next era of personal computing.
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