Openai may plan to move to hardware space and build artificial intelligence (AI) devices, including humanoid robots. San Francisco-based AI company filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) last week, listing a large number of consumer gadgets the company may build in the near future. The file also hints at AI chipsets, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) platforms, as well as end-to-end and cloud-to-edge solutions for software development.
Openai can enter the consumer hardware space
A new trademark application was submitted to the USPTO on January 31, and the applicant’s name was Openai. Typically, companies file trademark applications for a number of reasons and the document has no other impact. However, in the case of Openai, the app mentions a large number of hardware devices, which may hint at the company’s ambition to enter the space.
In the Goods & Services section, the app mentions headphones, headphones, smartwatches, smart jewelry, media streaming devices, AR/VR headphones, glasses and user-programmable humanoid robots. There are also some tips for AI chipsets that can use “quantum computing resources to optimize AI model performance”.
Additionally, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told ELEC South Korean media on Monday that the company is considering developing generated AI-powered devices through partnerships with several companies.
Humanoid robots have also been a topic of discussion within the company. A report last year said the company was considering developing robots that look like humans. In 2024, several job lists belonging to Openai were also found, and the company is looking for places where research engineers join the robotics team. It is worth noting that Openai is also an investor in several robot startups, such as AI, 1X technology and physical intelligence.
The mention of “user program” in the application list is also interesting. This suggests that OpenAI may tend to build humanoid robots that can perform various tasks and can be customized for specific tasks. Such robots can be powered by the generative AI and can be trained in simulations. It is worth noting that NVIDIA recently released its Cosmos platform, which can simulate real-world scenarios to train robots and autonomous cars.
But just because the company mentioned a large number of devices in its trademark filings, it doesn’t necessarily mean that OpenAI will start building and launching these products in the next few years. As of now, there is no public record of any hardware product.
