OpenAI working on AI Earbuds? Probably but latest rumours are fake

Is OpenAI preparing to launch an earbud? Information leaking from China suggests that the company is working on earbuds codenamed Dime and that they will be powered by ChatGPT. It sounds plausible given that OpenAI is indeed working on consumer hardware that would be powered by its AI system. So, why the question mark? Days after the latest rumours circulated, OpenAI President called the speculations “fake”.

Responding to a post on X, OpenAI President Greg Brockman said, “fake news.”

Earlier a tipster, who goes by name Smart Pikachu on social media, put out some information regarding upcoming gadget from OpenAI. In an X post, Pikachu claimed OpenAI recently filed a hardware patent with China's patent office. Because of China's new IP rules for large US AI companies, this filing has now become public, which suggests that the product could be revealed soon. The product, according to Pikachu, is codenamed Dime and the buzz is that it could be released by the end of this year.
Only problem? Brockman simply dismissed the reports. Interestingly, after his remarks, Pikachu deleted the X post. The Reddit account “wineheda,” which had originally shared the information on Reddit before it travelled to X, has now also been deleted.

The leaks around the device OpenAI is working on are not new. Earlier, we heard that the device is codenamed Sweetpea and that it is a pair of earbuds powered by ChatGPT.

Probably Dime is fake but there is something

It is possible that the Dime details leaked recently are fake. But the other side of the story is that OpenAI is indeed working on AI-powered consumer device, something with which it hopes to kill smartphone. Instead, the vision is to create a screen-less device that users will access and use through voice commands.

Last year OpenAI and Jony Ive, the famed iPhone and Apple designer who now works independently, formed a partnership to create a device of the future. We don’t yet have a lot of details in terms of how this device will look like and how it will function. But we do know that the vision is to create a device that will not have a screen.

In the last few months, buzz around a physical device powered by ChatGPT has grown strong. In fact, rumours suggest that OpenAI and Ive are exploring different form factors and ideas when it comes to this device, and there is a possibility that OpenAI may not just make one device but multiple gadgets that will use its AI at its core. One of these gadgets is said to be earbuds, although these will not be like AirPods or Sony XM5. These will be more powerful, with a more functional chipset and they will supposedly do more than what you can currently do with earbuds.