OpenAI Confirms First Prototype of Minimalist AI Device

ChatGPT-developer OpenAI has moved a step closer to its first consumer hardware product, with Chief Executive Sam Altman confirming that the company has completed a working prototype of a minimalist AI-powered device designed with former Apple design chief Jony Ive. 

The two appeared together at an event in San Francisco hosted by American philanthropist and investor Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective, offering the clearest picture yet of a product long shrouded in speculation.

Altman said the device is meant to feel like the opposite of a smartphone, which he described as overwhelming and saturated with digital noise. Current products, he said, make him feel as if he is “walking through Times Square in New York” with flashing lights, notifications and endless distractions competing for attention. 

The forthcoming device, he suggested, would instead offer a sense of quiet control.

“When people see it, they say, ‘that’s it? It’s so simple,’” Altman said, noting that the simplicity is intentional.

 It should feel more like “sitting in the most beautiful cabin by a lake and in the mountains,” he said, describing an experience focused on peace, calm and relevance rather than constant alerts.

The device is believed to be pocket-sized and likely screenless, though neither executive confirmed the form factor. Altman and Ive focused instead on what the product will do: filter information, make decisions on when to interrupt the user, and act autonomously over long periods.

Altman said the system is being trained to understand user behavior, communication patterns and context so it can surface information only when it matters. “You trust it over time, and it does have just this incredible contextual awareness of your whole life,” he said.

The prototype marks the first visible output of the partnership OpenAI and Ive formalized earlier this year. In May, OpenAI acquired Ive’s design startup io in a deal valued at about $6.4 billion, a move that signalled the company’s ambition to shift from software and cloud services to physical products.

Since then, both sides have disclosed little about the device, fuelling speculation across the hardware and AI industries about whether OpenAI intends to create a competitor to smartphones or something entirely new.

Ive hinted at the design philosophy behind the project rather than the specifics. “I love solutions that teeter on appearing almost naive in their simplicity,” he said during the conversation. 

He described the goal as creating an object that is both sophisticated and unintimidating, and something users want to touch, carry, and “use almost carelessly,” without the friction or anxiety often associated with high-tech gadgets.

He said the hardware could be introduced within two years, though he cautioned that timelines in hardware development can be unpredictable. 

“Especially in large companies that value predictability, leaders get really uncomfortable with ambiguity,” he said.

His comments nonetheless offer the first public signal that the device is on a defined path toward commercial release.

The emergence of the prototype intensifies questions about how OpenAI’s entrance into hardware will reshape competition across consumer technology. Companies such as Google, Meta and Amazon have experimented with AI-driven devices including smart glasses and voice assistants, but none has delivered a breakout, widely adopted AI-first gadget. 

The development also brings fresh pressure on Apple, whose lack of a dedicated generative AI device has become increasingly visible. 

Siri has lagged behind its rivals, and Apple has already pushed major improvements to 2026. Ive’s involvement in OpenAI’s project adds an unexpected twist given his decades of influence over Apple’s hardware design.

OpenAI’s move into physical products comes as the company expands a widening network of partnerships. It recently announced a partnership with Foxconn aimed at strengthening AI infrastructure, though neither company has confirmed whether Foxconn will manufacture the new device.