OpenAI is reportedly struggling to perfect the voice and personality of its AI device. According to a report in the Financial Times, OpenAI and designer Jony Ive are trying to solve a number of technical challenges before releasing their mysterious AI device.
Two of the challenges include understanding the 'personality' of the palm-sized device and how often it should talk. 'The idea is to have a friend who is a computer and not your weird AI friend,' according to a source briefed on the plans.
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The report describes the device as screenless and 'about the size of a smartphone' that can either be carried by the user or placed on surfaces such as a table or desk, mirroring similar details leaked in May. It is planned to communicate with users via a microphone, speaker and camera — or multiple cameras, according to a source familiar with the FT. This is the first in a family of devices being developed by Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, with a target launch date of sometime in late 2026 or early 2027.
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OpenAI is looking for ways to make the device 'accessible but not intrusive', aiming to provide a similar experience to Apple's digital voice assistant, Siri, 'but better'. The company is struggling to decide on the AI-powered device's voice and gestures and ensure it knows when to interact with users and complete a conversation.
A source said OpenAI is taking an 'always-on' approach that collects data throughout the day, rather than being triggered by specific voice commands like Amazon's Alexa-powered Echo devices.
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Privacy concerns surrounding the ever-listening device and budget constraints for computing infrastructure also need to be overcome, according to the report. 'Amazon has the computing power for Alexa, so does Google [for the Home device], but OpenAI is struggling to get enough computing power for ChatGPT, let alone an AI device,' a source close to Ive told the FT. 'They need to fix that first.'
