Court filings in a trademark case against OpenAI reveal some of the company's early work on developing AI devices.

For the past year, OpenAI and former Apple executives at io have been researching in-ear devices, buying and testing at least 30 headphone models. They even met with iyO’s team to try out their tech. However, according to court declarations, OpenAI’s first hardware product may not be headphones or even a wearable device.

OpenAI's io hardware division reveals its first AI device won't be a wearable or in-ear product, with release pushed to 2026 amid ongoing trademark disputes.