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OpenAI's mysterious hardware project could be a... pen?
14 hours ago
- A tipster says OpenAI and Jony Ive’s upcoming AI hardware might be a pen.
- The project is reportedly internally referred to as Gumdrop.
- The device will “likely” be built by Foxconn in either Vietnam or potentially the US, the tipster says.
We first heard that Apple hardware design veteran Jony Ive was working with OpenAI to create some kind of AI-powered device more than a year ago, but we haven’t heard much about what that device will actually be. Today, a new report includes some key details about the project, which could be some kind of AI-integrated pen.
According to a tweet from industry tipster Smart Pikachu, OpenAI’s forthcoming gadget will “likely” be produced by Foxconn, the contract manufacturer that assembles products like the iPhone and recent Pixel phone models. The tweet goes on to say that the initiative could take the shape of “a pen” and/or “a ‘to-go’ audio device.”
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The tweet is light on specifics, but taken at face value, it’s not terribly hard to imagine a pen-style device with AI integration allowing handwritten notes to be transcribed directly to (in this case) ChatGPT. If the same gadget is also an “audio device,” as tipster Smart Pikachu says, it could potentially provide two-way communication with ChatGPT via a paired smartphone or other device.
The OpenAI project is internally referred to as Gumdrop, the tweet says. The device was initially planned to be built by Chinese electronics manufacturer Luxshare, but a “dispute” over manufacturing location has evidently pushed OpenAI to consider Foxconn for the job. Smart Pikachu says the device is on track to be built in Vietnam, though “discussions include potential” for Gumdrop to be built at a US Foxconn site (the company operates plants in Wisconsin, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Indiana).
Standalone AI devices have thus far failed to find an audience, with early entrants to the space like the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin meeting harsh critical and consumer reception. A pen-style device would certainly be a novel approach, but time will tell whether consumers have any appetite for dedicated AI hardware at all.
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