OpenAI president says it’s ‘building a family of devices’ for its AI chatbots

In an interview with our friend Joanna Stern on her YouTube channel, OpenAI president Greg Brockman said the company is working on a “family of devices” for interacting with its AI models. However, Brockman didn’t confirm reports that one of those devices is a smart speaker OpenAI’s rumored to be launching in 2027, or earlier rumors that the device might be a wearable like the Humane AI pin. He didn’t give a release date, either, only saying that “you can expect them soon.”

When asked about whether Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI could impact the devices it’s working on with former Apple designer Jony Ive, Brockman said, “We are focused on our own development and technology.” He went on to add, “We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We are plenty innovative. We are thinking about things from our own angle.”

Whatever form OpenAI’s new devices take, Brockman says he thinks we’ll shift to talking to our computers rather than typing for the “vast majority of what we do.” As far as the problem of everyone talking to their computers in an open office, he brought up soundproof “beak” masks that have started to appear, saying that while he doesn’t use one, “it really shows you where there’s product market fit,” even if everyone agrees that’s not going to be a good solution.

Brockman also said OpenAI is working to address trust issues with its AI models, like concerns about how private ChatGPT’s “temporary chat” mode actually is, including developing technological solutions to offer “verifiable, auditable guarantees” that only the AI can review users’ private data.