OpenAI Is Building a 'Family of Devices', Here Is What Greg Brockman Actually Said

Key points

• OpenAI president Greg Brockman confirmed the company is building a "family of devices" for interacting with its AI models, but gave no release date.
• Brockman declined to confirm or deny a rumoured smart speaker planned for 2027, or earlier speculation about a wearable device.
• OpenAI is collaborating with former Apple design chief Jony Ive on hardware, though a lawsuit from Apple hangs over that partnership.
• Brockman said OpenAI is developing technical tools to give users verifiable proof that their private ChatGPT conversations stay private.
• He predicted that voice, not typing, will become how most people interact with computers.

OpenAI has hardware in the works. Greg Brockman, president of the company behind ChatGPT, told The Verge AI in an interview that the company is building a "family of devices" designed for talking to its AI. What those devices are, exactly, he would not say.

No names. No release date. Just "you can expect them soon."

What do we actually know about these devices?

Very little, officially. Rumours have pointed to a smart speaker arriving as early as 2027, and before that, speculation circled around a wearable, similar to the Humane AI Pin, a clip-on gadget that lets you speak to an AI assistant without a phone. Brockman confirmed neither.

What is confirmed: OpenAI is working on hardware with Jony Ive, the British designer responsible for the look of the iPhone and the MacBook. That partnership has drawn legal attention from Apple, which has filed a lawsuit. Asked whether the lawsuit could disrupt the project, Brockman was short: "We are focused on our own development and technology. We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We are plenty innovative."

Why does OpenAI want to make hardware at all?

Brockman's answer was about voice. He believes most computer interaction will shift from typing to speaking, covering "the vast majority of what we do." If that shift happens, a phone or laptop becomes a less natural home for an AI assistant than a device built specifically for conversation.

He acknowledged the obvious awkward consequence: offices full of people talking to their computers simultaneously. His example of a solution was blunt. Soundproof "beak" masks, face-covering devices that muffle speech so only a microphone picks it up, have started appearing on the market. Brockman said he does not use one, but called their existence proof that people are already looking for ways to make voice computing work in shared spaces.

What about privacy?

Brockman said OpenAI is working on this directly. One concern users have raised is whether ChatGPT's "temporary chat" mode, which is supposed to leave no record of a conversation, actually delivers on that promise. Brockman said the company is developing technological tools to provide "verifiable, auditable guarantees", meaning independent proof, not just a policy statement, that only the AI processes what users type in private mode.

For anyone who uses ChatGPT for sensitive personal or work conversations, that is worth watching. A policy promise and a cryptographic proof are very different things. OpenAI has not said when those tools will arrive.

Common questions

Will OpenAI's new devices replace my phone or smart speaker?

There is no product detail yet to answer that. Brockman's comments suggest the devices are designed for voice interaction with AI, but no specs, prices or confirmed form factors have been shared.

Is my ChatGPT history private right now?

OpenAI says temporary chat mode stores no history, but Brockman's own comments signal the company knows users want stronger proof of that. Until the "verifiable" tools he mentioned actually ship, the guarantee rests on company policy, not independent verification.