The first ChatGPT device is coming this year, and it could sit right behind your ear

ChatGPT That you wear behind your ear? maybe. OpenAI is said to be developing its first AI device and will unveil it in the second half of the year. As reported by Axios on Monday.

Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, said at Axios House Davos that the devices will be “among the next big attractions for OpenAI in 2026,” the site reported. Lehane said the company hopes to launch the new products in the latter part of the year, but did not provide any details about the device or when it will be available for purchase.

An OpenAI representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that it infringed Ziff Davis’s copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

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If the previous leak also proves true, the ChatGPT-powered device will be worn directly behind your ear.

According to the leak Earlier this month from @zhihuipikachua consumer electronics blogger, said the OpenAI device coming later this year will be a competitor to Apple’s AirPods and will consist of two pill-shaped devices that are placed behind the ear. It will be metal and stored inside an egg-shaped case. The leaker said to expect an initial launch around September 2026, but also said there would be a total of five devices (released) by Q4 2028.

Whatever the new device, it will be an inevitable creation for a company that has set its sights on developing AI-powered devices from the very beginning. Technology design company bought IO for $6.5 billion in May 2025. IO was founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and others to develop hardware products heavily integrated with artificial intelligence. At the time, there was speculation that OpenAI and former IO designers would collaborate to create an AI-powered smartphone.

In November, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Yves They had Developed a prototype For a screenless device that can filter out “digital noise” and avoid sending constant notifications and alerts. This device will draw on ambient intelligence, learning from its surroundings and providing spatial awareness, all while working quietly in the background.

Altman said the device would be “simple, beautiful and fun,” but did not provide details about what it would be.

ChatGPTLaunched in 2022 by OpenAI, it is an AI assistant designed to accomplish a wide range of tasks, such as creating documents, translating languages, answering questions, and more. These and similar products are rapidly moving into a wide range of technical products and everyday devices, including… Smart earbuds and Wearable devices. Companies are racing to integrate conversational AI into products of all kinds, generating excitement and controversy around it Privacy, data security and other issues.