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OpenAI’s First Mystery AI Device Is Reportedly an Audio Headset, Not an AI Pen

OpenAI’s First Mystery AI Device Is Reportedly an Audio Headset, Not an AI Pen

An OpenAI executive reportedly claimed that the company’s first AI device will be unveiled in the second half of 2026.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 21 January 2026 13:28 IST

OpenAI’s First Mystery AI Device Is Reportedly an Audio Headset, Not an AI Pen

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Andrew Neel

OpenAI has partnered with Jony Ive to design and develop its AI hardware lineup

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Highlights

OpenAI’s first device will reportedly be launched in 2027
For the first year, OpenAI is reportedly targeting 50-60M shipments
OpenAI is said to be working on three different AI devices

OpenAI's first mystery artificial intelligence (AI) device will reportedly be an audio headset. As per the report, the San Francisco-based AI giant will soon begin the process of mass-producing the hardware, once it finalises the vendor. The company has reportedly also decided on the volume of shipments for the first year. Interestingly, the report also claims that the first device launch by the company will not be an AI Pen, which was suggested previously. It is also said that the AI giant will unveil the device in the latter half of the ongoing year.

OpenAI Could Launch an AI Audio Headset Next Year

According to an ITHome report (via Taiwan's Economic Daily News), OpenAI's first device will be an AI-powered audio headset. The report also claims that the previously suggested AI Pen will not be the first device to be unveiled by the company, although it might still be on its roadmap. Additionally, the report claims that for the first year, the AI giant is targeting shipments of 40-50 million units. If true, this highlights that OpenAI has high confidence of the product being a success.

On Tuesday, OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer, Chris Lehane, reportedly said that the first AI device will be unveiled in the second half of the year. However, it is unlikely that the gadget will hit the market in 2026, given that Ive previously confirmed that a 2027 timeline is more realistic. Additionally, since another report mentioned that OpenAI was still in the process of finalising the vendor partner and the location of manufacturing, the production cycle could take until the end of the year.

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Although it is unclear if the publication's source was from the supply chain, the first device being an AI audio headset is still speculative at best. Last year, during the ongoing courtroom battle between OpenAI and Jony Ive, representing the “io” joint venture and the existing AI startup iyO (spun out of Google's Moonshot Factory), an official declaration mentioned that the ChatGPT-maker's first device is not a wearable.

The 26-page declaration was given by Tang Tan, OpenAI's Chief Hardware Officer and Co-Founder of io, where he stated that the first AI device “is not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device.” If the new report is to be believed, that would indicate that OpenAI knowingly lied in an official declaration, which is not a high possibility. Regardless, all will be clear once the AI giant officially unveils the device later this year.

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Further reading: OpenAI, AI, Artificial Intelligence, AI Devices, Wearables

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Chief Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More