OpenAI is significantly expanding its work on audio AI, consolidating multiple engineering, product, and research teams over the past two months to rebuild its audio models. The effort is aimed at an audio-first personal device the company expects to release in about a year, according to reporting from The Information.
The initiative reflects a broader shift in Silicon Valley toward voice- and sound-based interfaces that reduce reliance on screens. Smart speakers have already put voice assistants in more than a third of U.S. households. Meta has introduced a feature for its Ray-Ban smart glasses that uses a five-microphone array to isolate conversations in noisy environments, effectively turning the glasses into directional listening devices.
Google is testing an “Audio Overviews” feature that converts search results into conversational summaries, while Tesla is integrating xAI’s Grok chatbot into its vehicles as a voice assistant for tasks such as navigation and climate control.
Startups are also pursuing audio-first hardware, with mixed results. The screenless Humane AI Pin consumed hundreds of millions of dollars before becoming a cautionary tale for the category. The Friend AI pendant, a necklace designed to continuously record a wearer’s life and provide companionship, has drawn criticism over privacy and its psychological implications.
At least two companies, including Sandbar and another led by Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky, are developing AI-powered rings slated for 2026, aiming to let users interact with assistants simply by speaking to their hands.
Despite differing form factors, these products share a common premise: audio will be the primary interface for computing. Homes, cars, and wearable devices are increasingly being treated as voice-controlled environments.
OpenAI’s next-generation audio model, expected in early 2026, is reportedly designed to sound more natural, manage interruptions more smoothly, and even talk over the user in ways that mimic real conversation—capabilities that current systems largely lack. The company is also exploring a family of hardware devices, potentially including glasses or screenless smart speakers, that would function more like companions than traditional tools.
Former Apple design chief Jony Ive is playing a key role in this vision. Ive joined OpenAI’s hardware push after the company’s $6.5 billion acquisition in May of his firm, LoveFrom’s subsidiary io. He has emphasized reducing device addiction and sees audio-first products as an opportunity to address what he considers the shortcomings of earlier consumer gadgets.