Overview
- Reporting says OpenAI combined engineering, product, and research groups over the past two months to overhaul its audio models.
- Sources describe a new architecture that sounds more natural, handles interruptions, and can speak simultaneously with users, with a release targeted for the first quarter of 2026.
- The first consumer device is still expected about a year after the model, with a reported roadmap that includes glasses or screenless speakers designed to feel more like companions.
- Former Apple design chief Jony Ive is credited with guiding the hardware effort after OpenAI’s reported $6.5 billion acquisition of his firm, emphasizing audio‑first design to reduce screen dependence.
- Coverage situates the plan within a broader turn toward voice interfaces by major tech firms and startups, while noting cautionary examples and privacy concerns around recent audio wearables.