OpenAI launches $230 Codex Micro keyboard for AI agent interaction

OpenAI has officially entered the hardware market with the launch of the Codex Micro, a $230 mini-keyboard co-designed with Work Louder. This device is intended to serve as a "command center for agentic work," allowing users to monitor and interact with fleets of AI coding agents, such as those powered by Codex.

The keyboard features six "Agent Keys" with RGB lighting that display the status of AI agents through color-coding, indicating states like idle, processing, completed, requiring feedback, or error. Tapping these keys brings the corresponding agent's window to the forefront. It also includes customizable "Command Keys" for frequent actions and a dial to adjust an agent's "reasoning level"—the computational resources allocated to a task. The device is controllable and customizable via the ChatGPT desktop app.

OpenAI described the Micro as a limited-run collaboration, suggesting it is more of a novelty item. This launch comes amid more significant hardware news: a Bloomberg report detailed an unreleased OpenAI device described as a portable, screenless smart speaker with moving mechanical elements, reportedly being designed by former Apple engineers. This development is particularly notable as Apple recently sued OpenAI, accusing the company of stealing confidential information for its own hardware development, an allegation OpenAI denies.