The trend of stuffing the consumer electronics you usually use with AI is now the train these big tech giants want to catch; something like an Alexa stands as a classic example to this, and now another is hopping on the bandwagon. There have already been reports of OpenAI losing money, and some reports suggest that the tech giant might actually run out of money by 2027. So what is the response? A new product, maybe. That is no ordinary ordeal, something conjured by the ex-Apple veteran Sir Jony Ive, who joined hands with OpenAI in May of last year.
Now when the product will finally make its way to the consumers depends completely on one factor, and that is that OpenAI has enough in its coffers to make this a reality. This new venture has been through a bumpy ride, and the AI giant still has faith that this product shall make its way to the shelves this year, but the key details to it still remain under wraps.
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The information claims to have some details on the launch of the first product made in collaboration with Apple veteran Jony Ive, and as you may have guessed, it might be an AI-powered speaker, which will reportedly cost you around $200-$300, but going by the current scenario in which the company finds itself, it could still be far off, though, and 2027 might be the closest date you can expect the product to show up.
Inside the company’s 200-person AI hardware team, there’s talk of a smart speaker that does more than just answer questions or play music. The built-in camera, they say, will “allow people to buy things by identifying them with a facial recognition feature similar to Apple’s Face ID".
That’s the pitch.
What’s still murky is how far this goes. Is facial recognition simply there to confirm it’s you before you log in? Or will your face literally become the checkout button? The mechanics haven’t been clarified yet. And yes, it does invite slightly absurd mental images. Blink once for a coffee machine. Blink twice for the fancy frother. We don’t know, and that’s kind of the point.
The speaker, though, is just one piece of a larger hardware push.
The company is reportedly working on AI glasses as well, although those “likely won't be ready for mass production until 2028". Translation: don’t expect them anytime soon. There’s also an AI-powered smart lamp in development, which feels less like a moonshot and more like something quietly testing the waters of everyday home tech.
And then there’s the missing product. Earlier rumours hinted at smart earbuds, but this latest report doesn’t mention them at all. No confirmation, no denial. Just silence.
The real challenge, however, isn’t building the device. It’s convincing people they want it.
A speaker that listens is normal. A speaker that watches and potentially scans your face is a different conversation. That “creepiness factor” is real, and not every brand can brush it off.
Apple might have an easier time navigating that territory. The company constantly stresses its privacy credentials, and importantly, its revenue model isn’t built on advertising. That distinction shapes how people perceive risk.
But OpenAI, on the other hand, has started testing ads and would act as a potential revenue generator for the company. People who have had the chance to use the Amazon Echo smart home device already know what ads feel like over there. This is not the only factor, as the AI accessories market is going to be flooded by 2027, as even Apple plans to launch a pin soon, as reports say.
So the big question isn’t just whether the speaker works. It’s whether people feel comfortable placing a face-recognising device in their living room and whether that comfort translates into pre-orders strong enough to keep the hardware ambitions alive. Sources familiar with the matter told The Information that "you could imagine the device observing its user staying up late the night before a big meeting and suggesting that they go to bed, for example."
So whether this is an idea consumers will resonate with still remains a mystery, but for now it seems like OpenAI is trying to grab onto the last thread to save itself and get some funding to get the show running.