OpenAI has been leading the AI race in terms of user base. However, as people grow increasingly fatigued by screens, it appears that the Sam Altman–led company is now focusing on advancing its audio-based AI models. According to a new report by The InformationOpenAI’s upcoming device, which is being developed in collaboration with former Apple design chief Jony Ive, is expected to be “largely audio-based”.
While ChatGPT’s audio capabilities are pretty good, the AI model that powers the AI chatbot’s text responses is different from the one used to power its speaking capabilities. The report goes on to say that researchers within OpenAI “believe the current audio models lag behind the text-based models in the accuracy of their responses and how quickly they answer questions.”
Citing people familiar with the matter, the publication says OpenAI is now working on unifying its engineering, product and research teams to improve its audio models for future devices.
OpenAI’s efforts to improve on the audio front seem to be paying off. The company has reportedly developed a new audio-model architecture which gives more natural, accurate and in-depth answers and speaks at the same time as the user, something which the current generation of audio AI models are unable to do.
The much-speculated model is expected to come out sometime in the first quarter of 2026. Researchers working for the ChatGPT maker have been focusing on audio AI models because the company’s upcoming device is said to interact with users via speech instead of a screen. Jony Ive, Apple’s ex-design chief, had previously said that OpenAI’s upcoming product is a priority for him. Rumour has it that the mysterious device could be in the shape of an AI-powered pen of some kind and may enable two-way communication with ChatGPT.
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