Sam Altman says we probably won't need a new device for the AI future

• Sam Altman told MIT Technology Review we might not need new hardware to engage with AI in the future.
• The OpenAI CEO has been rumored to be developing his own AI device.

Sam Altman isn't sure the future of artificial intelligence requires new hardware.

Despite a flurry of new devices hitting the market, the OpenAI CEO told MIT Technology Review we might not need to buy separate devices to engage with AI in the future.

"I don't think it will require a new piece of hardware," he said while in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for events hosted by Harvard University and the venture-capital firm Xfund.

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Altman told the outlet the type of app he envisioned for future AI agents could live in the cloud.

He described the futuristic app as a "super-competent colleague that knows absolutely everything about my whole life, every email, every conversation I've ever had, but doesn't feel like an extension."

Although Altman said he thought AI devices were exciting, he said consumer hardware for new technology was "so far" from his expertise.

The OpenAI CEO has been rumored to be considering the development of his own AI device.

Last year, The Information reported that Altman was in talks with Jony Ive, the designer of Apple's iPhone, about building a new AI hardware product. The report said Masayoshi Son, the CEO of SoftBank, was also brought into their conversations.

Representatives for OpenAI didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider made outside normal working hours.

Recent launches of AI hardware have been met with mixed reviews.

Humane's AI Pin was widely criticized — especially by Marques Brownlee, the YouTuber known as MKBHD.

Brownlee didn't mince words in his review of the device, titling the video: "The Worst Product I've Ever Reviewed… For Now."

While Rabbit's competing R1, a pocket-size AI device, sold out within 24 hours of its January launch, many have speculated it could just be a smartphone app.