It's neither a headphone nor wearable. So what on earth is OpenAI's first piece of hardware?

Last week, OpenAI released promotional materials related to its acquired artificial intelligence hardware company, io. However, these promotions were later removed from the website and YouTube page. This has nothing to do with the acquisition plan itself. The real reason is that another artificial intelligence company, iyO, filed a trademark lawsuit, claiming that the names and products of the two companies are similar, which may mislead consumers.

So, just how similar are io and iyO?

The iyO company is dedicated to creating a screenless, voice-controlled audio computer. It was originally a project in Google's "Moonshot" lab, spun off independently in 2021, and launched its flagship product, a customized AI headset, last year.

In contrast, the products that io is currently developing remain very mysterious.

01. No display, non-wearable, definitely not in-ear

Well-known technology analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the device jointly developed by OpenAI and io "does not have a display function" and can be worn around the neck, similar to the discontinued Humane AI brooch.

However, documents in the trademark lawsuit show that there may be key differences between the two. Evans Hankey, co-founder and chief product officer of io, stated in a declaration to the court, "io currently has no plans to launch a customized headset product."

Another co-founder, Tang Tan, also stated in the declaration that the prototype of the io product 'is neither an in-ear device nor a wearable device'.

02. However, io once conducted in-depth tests on in-ear designs

Tan added that the product is "at least a year away" from finalization, promotion, and market launch, so the current claim that it is not an in-ear device may change. In fact, he said that when designing the prototype, io considered various types of devices, including desktop and mobile devices, wireless and wired devices, and wearable and portable devices.

Evidence shows that the type of device that io considered most seriously was the in-ear type.

Marwan Rammah, an engineer at io, stated in a declaration that in the months after the company was founded in 2023, they purchased at least 30 different types of headphones with the aim of "understanding the current state of audio products." Rammah also said that he recommended purchasing a 3D ear scan database from a company called The Ear Project, which iyO had also used.

Recently, shortly before the acquisition, both io and OpenAI met with the management of iyO to learn more about its products. Tan stated in the declaration that he was reluctant to attend the meeting because he suspected that iyO's products were just "concept products," but he also didn't want to access any confidential information to avoid legal disputes in case of similarities.

03. Neither a phone nor glasses

According to a leaked meeting recording obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, told employees that this AI device is small in size and can be placed on a desktop or carried in a pocket. It can "well sense the user's surrounding environment and life," and consumers will use it as frequently as they use an iPhone and a MacBook Pro.

Altman also said that this device is neither a phone nor glasses, and it is unlikely to be a wearable device. Its purpose is to reduce users' dependence on screens.

OpenAI acquired io at the end of last month and appointed its co-founder, former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive, to lead the design of the upcoming hardware project.

According to The New York Times, Ive and Altman decided two years ago to create an AI-driven hardware device. Their common vision is to "develop a product that utilizes AI to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone."

According to Mark Gurman, a technology insider at Bloomberg, this collaboration has made Apple quite uneasy because Apple has fallen behind in AI innovation.

Currently, Apple's most ambitious AI hardware project, augmented reality and AI-driven glasses, is expected to be launched by the end of 2026. However, Apple is still in the early stages of developing smartwatches and AirPods with built-in cameras, which are designed to support AI-related functions.

The original source is:

1.https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-openai-io-ai-device/

This article is from the WeChat official account "MetaverseHub", author: MetaverseHub. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.