OpenAI社長、AIチャットボット向けに「デバイスファミリーを構築中」と発言OpenAI president says it’s ‘building a family of devices’ for its AI chatbots

OpenAI is signaling that its ambitions extend well beyond software, with president Greg Brockman saying the company is building a "family of devices" designed for people to interact with its AI models. Speaking in an interview with journalist Joanna Stern on her YouTube channel, Brockman framed the effort as a broader hardware initiative rather than a single flagship product, a comment that matters because it suggests OpenAI intends to control more of the physical touchpoints through which users reach its systems.

Brockman's phrasing is notable for what it leaves open. He described a "family" of devices, implying multiple form factors rather than one gadget, but he stopped short of detailing what those devices are, when they might arrive, or how they would be priced. Importantly, he did not confirm reports that one of the products in development is a smart speaker, declining to either verify or deny that specific claim. That leaves the company's exact roadmap unconfirmed, even as the general direction toward dedicated hardware appears increasingly clear.

The remarks build on OpenAI's well-documented move into hardware. The company previously brought on former Apple design chief Jony Ive and his startup, io, in a deal aimed at developing AI-native devices. Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, and Ive have both spoken about creating a new category of product built around conversational AI rather than adapting existing computers or phones. Brockman's comments align with that trajectory, reinforcing that OpenAI views purpose-built hardware as a strategic complement to its models and apps rather than a side project.

A "family of devices" approach would put OpenAI in more direct competition with established players that already sell AI-assistant hardware. Amazon's Echo line and Google's Nest speakers have long used voice as the primary interface, and both companies have been working to infuse those products with more capable generative AI. Apple, meanwhile, continues to develop its own assistant strategy across the iPhone, HomePod, and other devices. If OpenAI does pursue something like a smart speaker, it would enter a crowded and mature market, though one where incumbents have struggled to deliver the kind of fluid, reasoning-capable assistant that large language models now make possible.

The broader context also includes a wave of startups that tried, with mixed results, to define standalone AI gadgets. Products such as the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 drew early attention but faced criticism over performance, battery life, and unclear use cases, illustrating how difficult it is to build hardware that justifies existing alongside a smartphone. OpenAI's advantage, at least on paper, is that it owns the underlying models and can tune the experience end to end, but the same execution challenges that tripped up earlier entrants would likely apply.

Technical details remain scarce, and Brockman's comments should be read as a statement of intent rather than a product announcement. He did not outline specifications, operating systems, connectivity, or whether the devices would rely on cloud processing, on-device computation, or a hybrid of both. Those choices carry significant implications for latency, privacy, and cost, all of which tend to shape how such products are received. Without confirmed specifics, the timeline and feature set are best treated as open questions.

For OpenAI, expanding into a range of devices could also serve business goals beyond user experience. Owning hardware would give the company a durable distribution channel that is less dependent on partners like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, whose platforms currently mediate much of how people access AI assistants. It could also generate recurring engagement and data that feed back into product development, though it would require OpenAI to build or partner for manufacturing, supply chains, and retail—areas where it has limited experience.

For now, the key takeaway is that a senior OpenAI executive has publicly confirmed the company is working on multiple hardware devices, while pointedly leaving the smart speaker question unanswered. The statement adds weight to reports of OpenAI's hardware push but does not settle the specifics, and observers will likely watch for more concrete details, including form factors, pricing, and availability, before drawing firm conclusions about what the company plans to ship.