OpenAI will reportedly release an AI-powered smart speaker in 2027
OpenAI is building a hardware division of over 200 people to develop AI-powered devices, with a camera-equipped smart speaker expected first at $200-$300 in early 2027, followed by smart glasses in 2028. The speaker would recognize faces, identify nearby objects, and listen to conversations — powerful capabilities that will inevitably raise the same privacy concerns that have already caused delays in the project. With Jony Ive leading design after OpenAI's $6.5 billion acquisition of his firm, the ambition is clear, but convincing consumers to put an always-watching AI device in their home is a very different challenge than building one.