An AI Smart Pen from OpenAI Sounds Weird—Until You Consider These Use Cases

There’s been a lot of buzz around OpenAI and the secret device(s) it’s been working on behind the scenes with the expertise of an industry veteran like former Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) chief design officer Jony Ive.

While Ive is arguably the undisputed king of device design, there’s no guarantee that OpenAI’s AI gadgets will hit the ground running once they are finally launched. Even Apple can’t make hit after hit (the first edition of the Vision Pro certainly did not fair well), though it does have one of the best batting averages out there.

Rumors suggest OpenAI is making an AI pen

In any case, OpenAI does have a powerful force with Jony Ive on its team. And with recent rumors pointing to a pen form factor (codenamed Gumdrop), the AI device market is poised to take a very interesting turn.

Undoubtedly, a smartpen definitely stands out as intriguing. Arguably, it’s a more enticing form factor than a lapel pin or something of the sort, a form factor that many speculated could be in the cards given the slew of pin devices we’ve witnessed in recent years (think the discontinued Humane AI pin).

In any case, a pen, as opposed to a pin, seems more easily held in hand. And with a microphone and camera rumored to be incorporated into the device, questions linger as to how OpenAI can pack so much tech into such a small package. Rumors suggest the pen could be a similar form factor to the likes of an iPod Shuffle, which, at the time, was a game-changing form factor for its time. 

What kind of tech could be in a smartpen?

If the pen can detect handwriting in real-time and digitize it to some sort of app, perhaps there is potential in a device category that might appeal to a broader category of customers than originally expected. Perhaps the AI pen could be the perfect brainstorming tool for those who want to get to work but don’t want to have so many screens open. In any case, I do think that such a device could be a hit if AI is the technology that ends up nudging consumers away from screens.

If the pen-based AI model is refined and tailored enough, perhaps there’s disruptive potential there. However, for now, investors shouldn’t expect a pen form factor to replace the smartphone. Personally, I don’t think OpenAI and Ive have plans to compete directly with the iPhone. Arguably, a smartpen might be a great complement, one that consumers might not know they want.

Either way, one thing, I think, is almost a guarantee: that the device will be beautifully designed. After all, that’s what Jony Ive brings to the table. And while it’s still too soon to tell if a pen will hit with consumers, I do think that Apple will be paying close attention, especially since Sam Altman seems to think the Cupertino-based giant might be one of its biggest rivals.

A pen could be a hit for students and workers

For students or corporate employees looking to reduce distractions, I think such a device could make a lot of sense. There’s definitely a market for such a device, but only time will tell how it fares once OpenAI officially pulls the curtain. And, of course, pricing is going to be a big question mark. Such a tech-packed form factor does not come cheap.

Should OpenAI find a way to keep prices low, though, perhaps the big money stands to be made from a ChatGPT subscription, rather than hardware sales. In any case, it’s going to be an interesting time as the device looks to land either this year or next year. Expectations feel low right now, and since nobody is expecting an “iPhone moment,” perhaps there’s potential to impress.