As screen-based interactions grow weary, tech giants are collectively shifting toward a more natural and immersive interaction paradigm—voice. According to a recent disclosure by The Information, OpenAI has secretly integrated multiple engineering, product, and research teams to fully restructure its audio AI system, paving the way for an audio-first personal device expected in 2026. This is not just a technological upgrade but a clear bet by OpenAI on the future of human-computer interaction in the "post-screen era."

 From "Accessibility" to "Core Interaction": OpenAI Reimagines Its Audio Strategy

The new audio model is expected to launch in early 2026, featuring three major breakthroughs:

- More natural speech synthesis, approaching human tone and rhythm;

- Support for real conversational interruptions—users can interject at any time, with AI responding instantly;

- First-time implementation of "concurrent speech" capability, allowing AI to provide feedback while the user is speaking, breaking the current rigid interaction model where AI must finish speaking before listening.

More importantly, OpenAI is planning a series of audio-first hardware products, possibly including screenless smart speakers, AI glasses, or wearable devices, aiming not to be tools, but users' "intelligent companions."

 Industry Resonance: Voice Becomes the Next Generation Interface

OpenAI is not alone; the entire tech ecosystem is accelerating toward audio:

- Meta equips Ray-Ban smart glasses with a five-microphone array for directional listening in noisy environments;

- Google launches "Audio Overviews," transforming search results into conversational voice summaries;

- Tesla deeply integrates xAI's Grok chatbot into its vehicle systems, enabling natural language control of navigation, air conditioning, and other car functions;

- Startups like Sandbar and Eric Migicovsky's new company, formerly of Pebble, plan to launch AI voice rings in 2026, enabling "talk with a raise of your hand."

Even though early attempts such as Humane AI Pin and Friend AI necklace have faced setbacks, the market still believes that voice is the key path to achieving seamless, screenless, and effortless smart experiences.

 Jony Ive Joins In: Using Audio to "Correct" Tech Addiction

Notably, OpenAI's hardware vision is greatly influenced by Jony Ive, the former design visionary of Apple. In May this year, OpenAI acquired Ive's company LoveFrom (referred to as "io" in reports) for $6.5 billion, bringing it into the hardware team. Ive publicly stated that he hopes to use audio-first design to "correct the mistakes made by consumer electronics in the past"—that is, to reduce screen dependence and alleviate digital addiction, returning technology to serving human needs.

 AIbase Observations: The Voice War Is Essentially a Battle for Attention

When every space—living room, cockpit, wrist, even glasses—becomes a voice interaction entry point, competition goes beyond technology itself and directly targets humanity's most scarce resource: attention.

OpenAI's ambition is not only to make ChatGPT "speak better," but to make AI omnipresent yet invisible, integrating into the flow of life through sound, becoming an extension of the user's thoughts.

If successful, OpenAI may define the next generation of personal computing platforms following smartphones. And this quiet yet profound "voice revolution" is quietly beginning with a simple "Hey, ChatGPT..."