OpenAI is reportedly preparing its first audio wearable, a pair of AI-centric earbuds said to feature an “unseen before” design aimed squarely at the premium end of the market. The project, codenamed Sweetpea according to a well-known gadget tipster on X, would position the AI company as a direct challenger to Apple’s AirPods in both design and intelligence.
While OpenAI has not announced any hardware in this category, multiple signals suggest the company’s ambitions extend beyond software. The leak outlines a novel industrial concept, ambitious silicon plans, and a production roadmap involving established manufacturing partners—clear markers that this move is more than a passing experiment.
What Might Make the Earbud Design Different
The earbuds are described as living inside a metal “eggstone” main unit that houses two pill-like modules. Those modules reportedly sit behind the ear rather than inside the ear canal, a configuration closer to open-ear sports wearables or modern hearing aids than traditional in-ear buds.
A behind-the-ear architecture can unlock practical advantages. It leaves the ear canal mostly unobstructed for comfort, situational awareness, and reduced fatigue over long sessions—a key requirement for AI-first voice interfaces meant to be always available. Distributing components behind the ear also creates room for larger batteries, more microphones for beamforming, and added sensors without increasing pressure on the ear canal.
We’ve seen adjacent ideas work: open-ear designs from fitness-focused brands and bone-conduction headsets have gained traction by balancing awareness with audio. A premium, AI-native take on that concept could find a niche among power users who prioritize hands-free assistance as much as sound quality.
Silicon Ambitions and On-Device AI for Earbuds
The tipster claims OpenAI is evaluating a cutting-edge 2nm-class smartphone-style processor, with an Exynos option “most favored,” alongside a custom chip designed to handle assistant-level commands and trigger phone actions—potentially via Siri integrations on iPhone through Shortcuts or accessory controls.
If accurate, this would signal serious compute on the earbuds themselves. On-device inference enables faster responses, lower latency wake words, and privacy advantages by keeping more data local. It also raises engineering hurdles: thermal constraints, battery endurance, and the acoustic impact of embedding heavier silicon in a small wearable. The leak also notes a bill of materials comparable to a smartphone, implying a premium price and a push to differentiate with capabilities, not just aesthetics.
OpenAI’s recent work on low-latency, multimodal models underscores why audio hardware is compelling. Real-time conversational AI thrives when it’s ever-present and microphone-forward. The company’s trajectory with voice-enabled ChatGPT and generative media tools suggests a wearable could be the most natural interface for its software stack.
A Crowded but Growing Market for Smart Earbuds
Analysts estimate more than 300 million true wireless earbuds ship globally each year, with Apple routinely leading the premium tier by unit share and revenue. AirPods established the category’s baseline for pairing, battery life, and spatial audio, raising the bar for any challenger that claims to “replace” them.
To win, OpenAI would need more than novel industrial design. Users expect class-leading voice pickup in noisy environments, robust water and sweat resistance, multipoint connectivity, and battery life that justifies all-day wear. If ANC is traded for an open-ear approach, the company must overdeliver on mic arrays and beamforming to ensure calls and assistant responses remain crystal clear outdoors.
Pricing will be pivotal. With premium buds from category leaders typically retailing in the $200–$300 range, a smartphone-like BOM could push these earbuds higher. That only works if the AI functionality—fast, reliable, and truly useful—feels meaningfully beyond what current buds deliver.
Manufacturing and the Hardware Roadmap Ahead
The leak suggests Foxconn is involved as a manufacturing partner and that the earbuds are one of several devices in an OpenAI hardware pipeline. It also hints at priority from a design team associated with Jony Ive, aligning with prior reporting that OpenAI has explored next-generation devices with high-profile industrial design leadership.
If that lineup includes a home device or a stylus-like accessory, as rumored, it points to a broader strategy: build hardware that makes conversational AI ambient, personal, and context-aware across different surfaces, not just phones and laptops. That would mirror a wider industry shift, where AI moves from apps to objects.
What to Watch Next as OpenAI’s Earbuds Emerge
Key questions remain. Can a behind-the-ear form factor deliver premium audio without occluding the ear? Will on-device models be fast enough to feel instant while preserving battery life? How deeply can the product integrate with iOS or Android for actions and notifications without running into platform limits?
OpenAI has not confirmed the leak, and plans can change. Still, the contours make strategic sense: the next wave of AI utility will live in ears, on faces, and around the home. If Sweetpea is real, it could test whether a purpose-built, AI-first earbud can redefine what “smart” audio actually does.
