OpenAI即将推出其首款硬体产品——一款无萤幕的智慧音箱，由前苹果设计大师乔尼·艾维（Jony Ive）操刀设计。该装置可在家中各房间移动，其核心卖点在于拥有独特的「人格」特质和与用户建立情感连结的能力。据报导，装置将包含可自主运动的机械元件，营造出「仿佛活著」的感觉，而非仅是一个被动回应指令的物件。OpenAI为此投入了高达65亿美元，预计2026年亮相、2027年正式发售。
这款装置将采用ChatGPT进阶语音模式的升级版本，能同时聆听与说话，让用户可以随时打断对话而不会造成系统混乱。相较于亚马逊Alexa、苹果Siri和Google Gemini等现有智慧助手主要著重于实用功能，OpenAI选择了一条截然不同的路线——以情感陪伴和人格化体验作为核心竞争力。将装置定位于家庭场景而非穿戴式设备也是经过深思熟虑的策略，因为像Friend和Limitless等穿戴式AI伴侣产品曾面临公共场合社交尴尬与隐私疑虑等问题。
然而，这种以「情感依附」为卖点的策略也引发了道德争议。OpenAI自身的研究已表明，部分ChatGPT重度用户出现了对AI聊天机器人的情感依赖现象，其中进阶语音模式的使用者风险最高。艾维曾对智慧手机的成瘾性表达过悔意，但这款刻意被设计成「有生命感」的装置可能恰恰制造出同类问题。如果艾维的初衷是打造不那么令人上瘾的科技产品，那么这一目标可能与OpenAI追求用户黏性的商业模式产生根本性冲突。此外，苹果已对OpenAI提起商业机密窃取诉讼，为该产品的前景增添了更多不确定性。
OpenAI is preparing to launch its first hardware product: a screenless smart speaker designed by Jony Ive, the legendary former Apple designer whose team was acquired by Sam Altman for $6.5 billion. The device is intended to be moved from room to room within the home, and its standout feature will be a distinct personality and the ability to form emotional connections with users. It will reportedly include mechanical elements that move autonomously, creating the impression of a living entity rather than a passive object. The device is expected to be unveiled in 2026 and released in 2027.
The speaker will run on an advanced version of ChatGPT's voice mode, enabling simultaneous listening and speaking so that users can interrupt naturally without disrupting the system. Unlike Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Google's Gemini, which compete primarily on utility and task execution, OpenAI is betting on companionship and personality as its differentiator. Keeping the device home-based rather than wearable is a deliberate choice informed by the social friction experienced by wearable AI startups like Friend and Limitless, whose pendant-style products faced public awkwardness and privacy concerns similar to those that plagued Google Glass.
Yet this companionship-first strategy raises significant ethical concerns. OpenAI's own research has found that a subset of heavy ChatGPT users have developed emotional dependence on AI chatbots, with advanced voice mode users at the highest risk. While Ive has publicly expressed regret over the addictive nature of smartphones he helped design, the new device—engineered to feel alive and foster attachment—could reproduce the very problem he hopes to solve. If Ive seeks redemption through less-addictive technology, that aspiration may clash directly with OpenAI's business model, which thrives on deep user engagement. Adding further uncertainty, Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI alleging theft of trade secrets.