Amid preparations by global tech giants for the 'post-smartphone' era, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has approached Samsung leadership with a proposal for close collaboration to develop a new joint artificial intelligence-powered gadget. According to Financial News, citing a closed-door Q&A session with Samsung top executives held on October 31, 2026, Altman not only outlined his vision for the device of the future but also urged the Korean corporation to undergo a full-scale AI transformation. This step is seen as an OpenAI effort to join forces with Samsung to challenge Apple's dominance in the consumer electronics market.
The Vision of a App-Free Gadget
According to Altman, the new device could become what the smartphone once was—humanity's primary technological companion. However, unlike conventional phones, the gadget will be as unobtrusive as possible: it will feature no apps, and the AI itself will proactively manage the user's physical and digital life. OpenAI plans to release its device in 2027; according to the source, it is a screenless smart speaker that fits easily in the palm of your hand.
Why Not Smart Glasses
Altman dismissed the idea of smart glasses as a potential future gadget. He noted that while they could be very useful for personal productivity, he finds it uncomfortable when an interlocutor looks at something else during a conversation: 'It feels like technology gets between people.' The OpenAI CEO also emphasized that next-generation devices 'will collect data from the physical world,' meaning society will have to address issues related to data privacy and excessive AI dependency.
A Call for a 100-Fold Transformation
During a meeting with executives from Samsung's electronics, finance, and biotechnology divisions, Altman urged the corporation toward a full-scale AI transformation. In his opinion, using neural networks merely as an auxiliary tool yields a 2–3x efficiency growth, whereas delegating entire workflows to AI can accelerate work by 100 times at lower costs. As an example, he cited OpenAI, where AI was integrated into all internal processes three months ago: according to him, the Codex AI agent is already capable of making managerial decisions—when the company head requests hiring additional staff, the system objects and demands justification for why the current task cannot be solved by AI.
Betting on Speed
‘In the mobile technology era, those who acted first survived, while those who were a year or two late were left behind. In three to five years, companies whose core does not use AI will not be able to remain competitive,’ Altman summarized. The appeal to Samsung against this backdrop is perceived as a strategic attempt by OpenAI to establish itself in the next-generation device segment before the market finally takes shape and to turn the Korean partner into a key link in its hardware ecosystem.
