OpenAI is said to be secretly developing a completely new hardware device in collaboration with Jony Ive, the legendary designer who was behind the success of the iPhone and many iconic products of Apple.
Although the project is still kept secret, recent leaks have sparked speculation that this may be a pen-shaped AI device, prioritizing natural interaction with ChatGPT.
According to a source in the industry shared on social network X by the Smart Pikachu account (a popular leaked source in the technology community), this mysterious device has the ability to allow users to communicate two-way with ChatGPT through smartphones or connected devices.
Although there is no official confirmation from OpenAI, initial details show that the product is designed around artificial intelligence, instead of a traditional electronic device.
In addition to AI support, the device is said to be able to act as a mobile audio device. Some sources say OpenAI is considering Foxconn, a large-scale manufacturing corporation based in Taiwan, to undertake the manufacturing stage.
Foxconn is currently a partner in assembling many large technology products, including iPhone and Google Pixel, which further increases expectations about the level of product completion.
In fact, OpenAI is not the first unit to test the idea of a pen-shaped device integrating AI. In August 2024, the World Education Organization introduced Literacy Pen, a device to support reading and writing for illiterate people, applying an AI model to convert handwriting into digital content.
However, this product is more social and educational than just a common consumer device.
The cooperative relationship between Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Jony Ive was first announced more than a year ago. Since then, the two have hardly revealed any more information, making the project even more mysterious.
By May 2025, the Wall Street Journal, citing internal sources, said that Altman had introduced the device prototype to OpenAI employees, describing it as a compact product, capable of fully recognizing life and the environment around users, which can be placed on a desk or carried in pants pockets.
Some legal documents later also revealed important clues as this device was definitely not headphones.
Tang Tan, co-founder of the hardware startup io (or io Products, io Products), a company focused on new generation AI devices), affirmed that the prototype of OpenAI is not an earplug device and is not a wearable device, according to the file submitted to the court.
According to leaked sources, OpenAI's hardware project has the internal code name "Gumdrop". Initially, production was assigned to Luxshare in China, but disagreements related to locations led OpenAI to consider switching to Foxconn.
The combination of OpenAI's AI capabilities and Jony Ive's design thinking makes the technology world place many expectations, even compared to the time iPhone was launched in 2007. However, recent history shows that creating independent AI devices is not easy at all.
Products like Humane AI Pin or Rabbit R1 have all faced heavy criticism because the experience is not convincing. This raises a big question whether OpenAI and Jony Ive can create a real turning point for AI hardware, or will "Gumdrop" continue to be a risky experiment?
