Court filings reveal OpenAI and io’s early work on an AI device

Recent court filings from a trademark dispute lawsuit between OpenAI, Jony Ive’s startup io, and Google-backed hardware company iyO have revealed new insights into OpenAI and io’s early efforts to develop a mass-market AI hardware device. The filings show that over the past year, OpenAI executives and former Apple leaders at io have extensively researched in-ear hardware, purchasing over 30 headphone sets to study existing products. Despite this focus, the first device from OpenAI and io is reportedly not an in-ear or wearable device, but its exact form factor remains undisclosed. Co-founder Tang Tan stated that the prototype mentioned by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is still in early development and at least a year away from market release. Altman has described the device as a “third device” complementing smartphones and laptops, capable of being pocket-sized or desk-based and fully aware of the user’s surroundings. The filings also reveal interactions between OpenAI/io and iyO leadership, including a May 1 meeting