OpenAI builds mobile AI speaker with former Apple engineers
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- OpenAI is developing a screenless smart speaker with AI capabilities that can move on its own and is pitched internally as a 'humanlike AI companion' synced with ChatGPT
- OpenAI designed the device to proactively learn from a user’s digital life, including emails, to deliver personalized service and a distinct 'personality'
- OpenAI recruited former Apple engineers who worked on the iPhone and Mac to help build the device, signaling deep investment in hardware expertise
- Apple sued OpenAI last week, accusing it of stealing trade secrets, with claims it is 'the tip of the iceberg' in ongoing misconduct
- OpenAI asserts the new product 'veers significantly' from Apple’s current offerings and is unlikely to infringe on Apple’s trade secrets
- Hark, an AI lab founded by Brett Adcock, raised $700 million at a $6 billion valuation to develop 'personal intelligence' hardware as part of growing investor interest in AI devices
Why it matters: OpenAI’s move into autonomous, mobile hardware intensifies its rivalry with Apple at a moment of legal tension, as Apple alleges trade secret theft by ex-engineers now working on a device designed to feel like a living companion — a form factor distinct enough to challenge whether 'stealing' applies to behavioral design, not just code.
