OpenAI Shifts Focus to Audio Driven AI and Screenless Consumer Devices

OpenAI has commenced a significant organisational restructuring centred on audio-focused artificial intelligence, according to a report from The Information. The reorganisation supports the company’s development of its first audio-first consumer device and represents a strategic pivot towards voice-driven technology.

Over the past two months, OpenAI has consolidated its engineering, product, and research divisions to expedite the creation of more responsive and natural voice technology. This structural realignment underscores the company’s commitment to advancing conversational AI capabilities beyond current market offerings.

The company is preparing to launch a next-generation audio model in early 2026, designed to facilitate human-like conversation. The model promises substantial improvements over existing voice assistants, including genuine turn-taking capabilities, nuanced emotional expression, and significantly reduced latency. These enhancements aim to address the delays and rigid interactions that characterise current voice-based systems.

Concurrently, OpenAI is developing audio-first hardware under the direction of former Apple designer Jony Ive. The product portfolio under consideration includes screenless speakers, AI-enabled smart glasses equipped with directional microphones, and a portable “AI Pen” interface. The involvement of Ive, renowned for his design leadership at Apple, signals OpenAI’s ambition to establish a strong presence in consumer hardware markets.

This strategic direction aligns with a broader industry movement towards audio-driven user experiences. Smart speakers have already achieved widespread adoption in residential settings, whilst Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses and Google’s “Audio Overviews” demonstrate emerging methods for interacting with artificial intelligence through audio interfaces. Tesla is similarly integrating conversational AI into vehicles to manage functions ranging from navigation to climate control.

OpenAI executives, including Chief Executive Sam Altman, have suggested that this initiative, characterised internally as a “war on screens”, seeks to establish hands-free, ambient AI experiences. The approach represents a departure from screen-based interactions that have dominated personal computing for decades, potentially reshaping how users engage with artificial intelligence in everyday contexts.