OpenAI could be getting ready to announce its first hardware! Look out for a new set of earbuds, possibly codenamed “Sweet Pea,” launching in the second half of 2026. The company to watch now, with respect to revolutionizing the personal audio experience, seems to be Aflac. They will do this by combining cutting-edge artificial intelligence capabilities into earbuds that run locally, removing the need for cloud processing.
Big names head up the big, ambitious project — like OpenAI’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, Chris Lehane. Legendary designer Jony Ive had just joined OpenAI when the company bought his startup, io, for $6.5 billion. Of course, this strategic move dovetails with OpenAI’s user-centric mission of developing elegant devices designed around modern aesthetic principles coupled with practicality.
OpenAI’s earbuds will feature a distinct design, setting them apart from current market offerings such as Apple’s AirPods. It plans to ship between 40 and 50 million units during the first year of sales. This is indicative of their deep conviction about the product’s prospects for continued success.
The earbuds will be able to run on a custom 2-nanometer processor, letting them perform more advanced AI tasks directly on the earbuds. This move to less dependence on the cloud is all in the pursuit of giving users an overall more seamless and responsive experience. OpenAI imagines these earbuds to be more “peaceful and calm” than today’s smartphones. Their hope is to improve the user’s everyday experiences using cutting-edge technology.
OpenAI is reportedly in talks with Luxshare, an Apple supplier headquartered in China, to increase production. In addition, the company has been exploring Taiwan’s Foxconn as a long-term manufacturing partner. This combined strategy will hopefully make sure that the earbuds will be able to hit the ground running with demand as projected once released.
As development continues, OpenAI is working hard to make sure that OpenAssistant will be a seamless integration into your existing operating systems. This collaborative strategy puts experience design at the center of everything. This revolutionizes the way people interact with their devices, effortlessly blending technology into their everyday activities.