4 min readNew DelhiJan 2, 2026 09:10 AM IST
First published on: Jan 1, 2026 at 12:26 PM IST
The mysterious device that is being developed by OpenAI in partnership with Jony Ive, the famed ex-Apple designer, could be in the shape of an AI-powered pen of some kind.
The forthcoming AI-first gadget could also serve as a to-go audio device and is likely to be produced by Taiwan-based Foxconn, one of the world’s largest contract manufacturers that assembles various products including the latest iPhones and Google Pixel models.
These unofficial details about OpenAI’s secret AI-first hardware project were revealed in a post on X by industry tipster Smart Pikachu. The device could enable two-way communication with OpenAI’s ChatGPT via a paired smartphone or other device, as per the X post.
While the tipster’s post does not provide many details about the device, OpenAI would not be the first company to explore building an AI integrated pen-style device that provides users with handwritten notes to be transcribed directly to ChatGPT. In August 2024, the World Literacy Foundation came up with the Literacy Pen, an assistive device that claimed to use AI models to help “illiterate” people read and write.
Based on the video demo, the Literacy Pen is a white cuboid with a digital display and built-in microphone along with an action button and a pairing system. Andrew Kay, the CEO of the global non-profit, said at the time that the World Literacy Foundation was seeking the help of philanthropists to support the rollout of the Literacy Pen in India next year.
Apple hardware design veteran Jony Ive first announced more than a year ago that he was collaborating with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on an AI-powered device. Since that announcement, however, the project has remained shrouded in secrecy, with neither Ive nor Altman offering any concrete details about what the device will ultimately be.
Meanwhile, the internet has been buzzing with speculation about the form factor of the device. In May 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported that Altman gave a preview of the device to OpenAI staff and said that the maiden product will be capable of being fully aware of a user’s life and surroundings. It will be unobtrusive and one could carry it in their pockets or one’s desk, the report said.
News reports based on legal filings said that the OpenAI device will definitely not be a pair of earphones. Tang Tan, the co-founder of hardware startup io, said that the prototype of the OpenAI device “is not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device,” as per a declaration submitted to court.
Based on the tipster’s post, OpenAI’s secret hardware project has internally been codenamed ‘Gumdrop’. While the device was initially meant to be manufactured by Chinese electronics maker Luxshare, a “dispute” over location reportedly forced OpenAI to consider Foxconn for the job instead. The device is on track to be built in Vietnam, as per Smart Pikachu’s post, which also said that discussions about manufacturing Gumdrop at Foxconn’s US-based plants are ongoing.
With OpenAI’s experience in AI and Jony Ive’s track record of creating sleek hardware, expectations will certainly be high to produce a product that belongs to the future—like the iPhone was when it debuted in 2007. Additionally, efforts to create a standalone AI device have failed thus far, with gadgets such as the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1 being met with harsh criticism.
The reception to Friend, an AI-powered pendant which listens to the wearer’s surroundings and conversations and can chime in with advice or general small talk from a smartphone app, has also been fairly negative.
OpenAI would not be the first company to explore building an AI integrated pen-style device. (Image used for representational purposes only/Unsplash) 
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