OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Samsung executives that he wants the two companies to work closely on a next-generation AI device, according to a report by South Korea’s Financial News cited by IT Home on November 12, 2026. The remarks describe a proposal, not an announced product or partnership.
At an October 31 discussion in Yongin, South Korea, Altman was asked what kind of device could serve as an AI companion. He described it as the next version of the smartphone: a device less centered on conventional apps, with AI gathering information and helping manage users’ digital and physical lives while minimizing interruptions. He also said privacy and excessive reliance on AI would need to be addressed by society.
Altman said AI glasses could be valuable for productivity, but their social acceptability was less clear. He noted that a person wearing a camera while speaking to someone else could make that person uncomfortable.
The discussion also covered how companies use AI. Altman argued that using it only to help employees perform existing tasks might raise productivity two- to threefold, whereas handing entire workflows to AI could potentially yield a 100-fold increase. These were his projections, not reported measurements. He said OpenAI had begun introducing AI across its internal work and services about three months earlier, and described its coding agent Codex as challenging requests for additional staff by asking why AI could not do the work. He warned that companies without basic AI capabilities could struggle to remain competitive in three to five years.
According to IT Home, roughly 50 executives from Samsung affiliates, including electronics, finance and biotechnology businesses, attended the session, which was intended to strengthen the strategic judgment and execution of leaders responsible for Samsung’s AI transformation.