OpenAI is developing a portable smart speaker without a screen as its first consumer hardware product, according to a recent Bloomberg News report that cited people familiar with the matter.

The device, which is still in development, is reportedly being designed to act as a humanlike AI companion inside the home, capable of controlling smart appliances, playing media, answering questions, and drawing on ChatGPT's broader abilities.

According to Bloomberg, the speaker will reportedly include a camera and sensors to help it understand a user's surroundings and context, and will run on AI models more advanced than those found in conventional smart speakers. The industrial design is being supported by LoveFrom, the studio of Apple's former design chief Jony Ive, and involves numerous former Apple designers and engineers who worked on products including the iPhone and Mac.

The push into hardware could open a new revenue stream for OpenAI as it prepares for an initial public offering, suggests a report by Reuters on the matter. Last year, the company paid $6.5 billion to acquire io, a startup founded by Ive that builds AI devices for the generative AI era. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Bloomberg report comes days after Apple filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of orchestrating an effort to acquire and exploit Apple's confidential information through former employees, recruiting practices, and supplier relationships, with the aim of accelerating its own hardware ambitions. OpenAI has not yet publicly responded to that complaint.