OpenAI is preparing to move from pure software into consumer gadgets, and all signs point to its debut device being a pair of AI-centric earbuds that live in your ears instead of on a screen. Rather than chasing another smartphone-style slab, the company appears to be betting that the most natural interface for ChatGPT is your voice, delivered through something that looks a lot like AirPods but behaves more like a real-time assistant. If that reading is right, OpenAI’s first hardware product will not just join the crowded earbud market, it will try to redefine it around ambient, screenless AI.
The emerging picture from leaks, executive comments, and supply chain chatter is surprisingly consistent: a compact, audio-only product, built with heavyweight industrial design help and manufactured at serious scale, aimed at making AI as accessible as putting in a pair of headphones. I see this as a strategic pivot that could pull OpenAI into direct competition with Apple, while also testing whether people are ready to let an AI whisper in their ear all day.
From secret project to first hardware device
For months, OpenAI has been teasing a move into physical products, and the clearest throughline is that its first hardware device will be a set of AI-powered earbuds. Internal discussions have reportedly given the project the code name Sweet P, with one early video describing how the Sweet project is designed to take on Apple’s AirPods head on, positioning OpenAI directly against Apple in the most mainstream wearable category. Separate reporting frames the earbuds as the company’s First Hardware Device, part of a broader Strategy Shift that treats dedicated Earbuds as the fastest way to put ChatGPT into everyday life, with a clear Launch Timeline that stretches through the second half of 2026 according to Gizmochina. I read that as OpenAI choosing a relatively simple form factor so it can focus on the AI experience rather than inventing a new category from scratch.
Hints about the device’s existence surfaced earlier this year when reports described a “secret” consumer product scheduled for release later in 2026, with Key Takeaways that the mystery hardware was likely to be earbuds tightly integrated with ChatGPT, as outlined in Key Takeaways. Around the same time, another leak pointed to OpenAI developing AI-powered audio earbuds that could replace AirPods, with the Bottom line that OpenAI, a partner called io, and Foxconn would need time before their work resulted in finished products, a caution that came through in Bottom. Taken together, these threads show a company that has quietly committed to earbuds as its first real-world test of AI-native hardware.
What the leaks say about design and features
Although OpenAI has not shown the earbuds publicly, the leaks sketch a device that looks familiar but behaves very differently from standard wireless headphones. One report describes OpenAI, the San Francisco based artificial intelligence giant, gearing up for its entry into consumer hardware with AI-enabled earbuds that prioritize conversational assistance over traditional media playback, a direction highlighted in coverage that notes how the San Francisco company is already testing Device functionality. Another detailed leak says the first consumer hardware could be AI-powered earbuds codenamed Dime, offering voice-based assistance and launching ahead of a more advanced device that has been delayed by component shortages, a sequence that underscores how Dime is meant to be the accessible starting point.
Other accounts reinforce that the earbuds are conceived as a screen-free, AI powered interface that leans on natural language rather than taps and swipes. One summary notes that While the company has not revealed specifics, Asian supply chain leaks suggest the debut product could be a screen free, AI powered audio device manufactured by iPhone supplier Foxconn, a detail that ties the project to established hardware expertise through While the. A separate analysis of OpenAI’s First Hardware Device emphasizes that the Earbuds are part of a Strategy Shift that prioritizes refining AI first consumer experiences over raw specs, and that the Launch Timeline is structured to give OpenAI time to tune those interactions, a framing that comes through in First Hardware Device. I see all of this pointing to earbuds that may look like any other pair in your ears, but are really a front end for a constantly available ChatGPT.
Jony Ive, Foxconn and the scale of OpenAI’s bet
OpenAI is not approaching hardware as a side project, it is recruiting some of the most experienced names in the industry. On Wednesday, OpenAI announced that it had acquired the startup of iPhone designer Jony Ive, a big win that effectively brings the former Apple design chief and his LoveFrom studio into the fold, as detailed in coverage of On Wednesday. Another report on OpenAI’s 2026 hardware plans stresses that the device is designed by Jony Ive’s LoveFrom and that Reveal May Come Before Shipping Availability, with One critical distinction made by Lehane at Davos being that early access could precede general release, a nuance that shows how Reveal May Come as OpenAI tests the waters. I read the involvement of Jony Ive as a signal that the earbuds will be treated as flagship objects, not just reference hardware.
On the manufacturing side, multiple reports point to Foxconn as the likely partner, which would give OpenAI access to the same industrial muscle that builds iPhones and other mass market devices. One analysis of supply chain plans says the earbuds could be manufactured by iPhone supplier Foxconn, a detail embedded in the earlier note that Foxconn is already in the loop. Another report focused on OpenAI’s AI powered earphone to rival AirPods states that Production is expected to be handled by Foxconn, with first year output estimated at 40 m to 50 m units, a scale that would instantly make the earbuds a major player if those Production targets are met. Committing to 40 m to 50 m units in year one is not a cautious experiment, it is a statement that OpenAI expects mass adoption.
Pricing pressures and the “basic headset” trade off
Even with Foxconn’s scale and Jony Ive’s design pedigree, OpenAI still has to make the numbers work, and that is where cost constraints start to shape the product. One financial analysis notes that OpenAI’s first hardware product is Constrained by the soaring BOM, or bill of materials, costs, which could force the company to ship a more basic, headset dependent device rather than an all in one gadget, a tension captured in the description of a BOM driven, AI dependent “basic headset” in Constrained. Another report on OpenAI’s first hardware product echoes that the company may have to compromise on standalone capabilities to hit a consumer friendly price, effectively turning the earbuds into a smart terminal that leans on a connected phone for heavy lifting, a trade off that aligns with the idea of a BOM sensitive BOM strategy.
At the same time, OpenAI executives are publicly committing to a 2026 debut, which suggests the company is willing to ship a first generation product even if it is not the fully realized AI wearable some early fans imagined. According to Axios, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, Chris Lehane, has said the company is on track to showcase its first device in the latter half of 2026, a timeline that was reiterated in coverage that cited According to Axios and highlighted Chris Lehane by name. Another summary of the company’s plans emphasizes that OpenAI is preparing to announce its first hardware device in the second half of the year, with supply chain chatter again pointing to Foxconn as the manufacturer, a point that reinforces how While the design may be basic at first, the rollout is meant to be global. I see this as OpenAI choosing speed and reach over perfection, betting that software updates can upgrade the experience over time.
