A new report from The Information revealed that OpenAI has unified several engineering, product, and research teams over the past two months to overhaul its audio models, all in preparation for an audio-first personal device expected to launch in about a year.
This comes during a time when an increasing number of tech companies are planning to focus on audio, according to TechCrunch. Smart speakers have already made voice assistance a feature in more than a third of U.S. homes.
Meta recently released a feature for its Ray-Ban smart glasses that uses a five-microphone array to help you hear conversations in noisy rooms, turning the user’s face into a directional listening device.
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Google, meanwhile, began experimenting in June with “Audio Overviews” that transform search results into conversational summaries, and Tesla is integrating xAI’s chatbot Grok into its vehicles to create a conversational voice assistant that handles everything from navigation to climate control through natural dialogue.
Aside from tech giants, startups have also been investing in audio, to a varying degree of success. Humane had launched its “AI pin” in 2024, which allows users to access AI models, calls, and texts, via voice or gestures. This was originally pitched as a smartphone replacement; however, it did not take off. Bad reviews and safety issues eventually turned the launch into a cautionary tale. The AI pin was retired after HP acquired parts of Humane earlier this year.
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The Friend AI pendant, purported to “record users’ life and offer companionship” was met with backlash. At least two companies, including Sandbar and one helmed by Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky, are building AI rings expected to debut in 2026, allowing wearers to literally talk to the hand.
OpenAI’s new model, which is slated for early 2026, will reportedly sound more natural, handle interruptions like an actual conversation partner, and even speak when the user is talking —something most models today cannot manage. The company is also believed to be envisioning a family of devices, possibly including glasses or screenless smart speakers, that act less like tools and more like companions.
OpenAI’s move is unsurprising considering that former Apple Design Chief John Ive — who joined OpenAI’s hardware efforts through the company’s $6.5 billion acquisition in May of his firm io — has made reducing device addiction a priority. Ive reportedly sees audio-first design as a chance to “right the wrongs” of past consumer gadgets.