By: Nick Gambino
We first heard news of OpenAI making a ChatGPT device back in May, but now there’s new details dropping about the upcoming AI hardware.
It all started with OpenAI buying legendary iPhone designer Jony Ive’s AI startup io for $6.5 billion and then announcing they were making an AI-first device centered around ChatGPT. What it would look like and what kind of device it would be was anyone’s guess.
Further details emerged in June from legal filings as part of a trademark lawsuit between iyO (a company that develops in-ear devices and “audio computers”) and OpenAI. In those filings the device was said to be neither a wearable nor an in-ear device or headphone. It’s also not expected to hit the market until at least 2026.
Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had dinner with a number of journalists and spilled the beans on some other details about the ChatGPT hardware.
“Listen, we’re going to ship a device that is going to be so beautiful, if you put a case over it, I will personally hunt you down,” Altman said to a TechCrunch reporter.
To be clear, this was in response to the reporter pointing out that the tech CEO didn’t have a protective case around his iPhone. And while the billionaire might not be worried about dropping and shattering a $1,000+ tech device, most of us thousandaires do. So I’m sure when it finally ships, we’ll be outfitting our ChatGPT devices with something to protect it from hard surfaces.
The AI hardware is said to be something that works with your existing smartphone, desktop or laptop, suggesting it’ll be some sort of tethered device like early Apple Watches, but also not a wearable, so yeah…I swear we just need more details at this point.
OpenAI is, rightfully, looking to branch out beyond just releasing AI models every year or two. Beyond the aforementioned ChatGPT device, they are also planning to release their own internet browser to rival Google. They are even toying with the idea of a social media app. Though, that idea does not interest me in the least.
