OpenAI's leap into physical hardware is shaping up to be anything but conventional. Bloomberg's latest reporting paints a picture of a device that sounds less like a typical smart speaker and more like a piece of modern art — a donut-shaped, metal-clad gadget with moving parts, priced between $300 and $400. For a company known for software, this is a bold statement about where it believes AI belongs. Main Developments Bloomberg's sources describe the device as deliberately donut-shaped, a design choice meant to make it easy to carry from room to room. Users could ostensibly place it on a nightstand, kitchen counter, or any other surface, integrating ChatGPT into daily routines wherever they happen to be. Construction will reportedly use high-quality metal for a premium aesthetic, and the device will feature distinct moving parts — a detail that has puzzled observers. At $300 to $400, it would land well above Amazon's smart speaker lineup, which ranges from roughly $40 to $240 depending on the model. Read also: Disrupt 2026 Expo Tables Open: Limited Spots for Startups Background This hardware effort is a collaboration with LoveFrom, the design studio founded by Jony Ive, the legendary former Apple design chief. That partnership alone signals ambitions beyond a typical tech gadget — Ive's fingerprints on a product typically indicate careful attention to form and feel. The project marks OpenAI's most concrete attempt to give ChatGPT a physical presence, extending its reach beyond screens and into the home. Yet the road to this release has been rocky, as OpenAI currently faces a lawsuit from Apple accusing the AI lab of stealing trade secrets. OpenAI has denied any wrongdoing. Why It Matters Smart speakers have historically been a tough market to crack, with profitability proving elusive even for established players like Amazon. OpenAI's premium pricing strategy could make that challenge even steeper, especially if consumers balk at paying several hundred dollars for an AI assistant. Still, there is a clear logic to the move. Embedding ChatGPT into a portable, always-available device would deepen user dependence on OpenAI's ecosystem, turning occasional chatbot visits into constant ambient interaction. If successful, it could redefine how AI assistants are perceived and used. What's Next Bloomberg indicates a release window of 2027, leaving plenty of time for design refinements and legal proceedings to unfold. The moving-parts mystery remains unresolved, and it is unclear whether that feature serves a functional purpose or is purely aesthetic. Observers will be watching to see whether OpenAI can navigate the smart speaker market's historical pitfalls and whether the Apple lawsuit impacts the timeline. For now, the prospect of an expensive, talking AI donut is both intriguing and uncertain.