OpenAI is ditching the “io” branding for its AI hardware

OpenAI won’t do that Use the name “io“for its upcoming line of artificial intelligence devices, according to a court filing Monday.

Movement is part of a Trademark infringement lawsuit It was introduced last year by audio hardware startup iyO, which filed a lawsuit OpenAI After it acquired the startup of famous Apple designer Jony Ive. OpenAI has reviewed its product naming strategy and “has decided not to use the name ‘io’ (or ‘IYO’ or any capitalization of either) in connection with the naming, advertising, marketing or sale of any AI-enabled hardware products,” Peter Wellender, vice president and general manager of OpenAI, said in the filing.

Welinder also said that OpenAI now has a better understanding of the timeline for bringing its devices to market. The company said in its filing that its first device will not be shipped to customers before the end of February 2027.

Previously, OpenAI said it plans to unveil its AI device in… Second half of 2026. The company’s prototype is said to be a screenless device that can be placed on a user’s desk, accompanied by a phone and a laptop. Welinder also said that OpenAI has not yet created packaging or marketing materials for its first device, according to the filing.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

The news comes as The wild rumors continue To post about OpenAI hardware efforts. A now-debunked Reddit thread went viral over the weekend, claiming that OpenAI had pulled a Super Bowl ad unveiling its highly anticipated device. Someone posted the alleged ad, which featured actor Alexander Skarsgård wearing a pair of silver headphones and tapping a reflective disc. The video was widely circulated on social media, including by Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian.

OpenAI spokesperson Lindsay McCallum confirmed to WIRED that the maker of ChatGPT had nothing to do with the ad in question.

OpenAI announced back in May 2025 that it would acquire Jony Ive’s consumer hardware business for $6.5 billion, marking the company’s largest acquisition ever. At the time, io was marketed as a new company that would merge with OpenAI to create a family of AI devices.

Since then, the company has been embroiled in a messy trademark infringement lawsuit that likely revealed more than OpenAI would have liked for its hardware. iyO claims that OpenAI and io executives met with iyO leaders and tested the company’s voice AI technology before announcing the acquisition.

OpenAI leaders previously revealed in filings related to this lawsuit that the prototype that CEO Sam Altman mentioned in the io launch video was “Not an in-ear device, nor a wearable.“