Amazon has confirmed its acquisition of Bee, a startup known for its AI-powered wearable that continuously listens to the world around you. The deal was revealed in a LinkedIn post by Bee’s co-founder, Maria de Lourdes Zollo, and later confirmed by Amazon to TechCrunch, though it’s yet to be finalised.
Bee launched a bracelet priced at $49.99 with a $19 monthly subscription, along with an Apple Watch app. The device is always listening — unless muted — and uses voice input to generate to-do lists, set reminders, and help users stay organised through what the company calls “ambient intelligence.”
Bee raised $7 million last year and has ambitions to build a “cloud phone” — essentially a digital extension of your phone that lives on your wrist and accesses your apps, notifications, and calendars to assist proactively. As per Bee’s website, the goal is to make AI feel like a “trusted companion” rather than a tool.
Unlike high-priced experiments like Humane’s $499 AI Pin, Bee’s sub-$50 price point makes it more approachable for mainstream users. Previous attempts by companies like Rabbit and Humane AI to crack the wearable AI space haven’t taken off, but Bee’s affordability and simplicity seem to offer an edge.
An Amazon spokesperson said Bee’s employees have received offers to join the company as per the report by TechCrunch. The move signals Amazon’s expanding interest in wearable AI, diverging from its Echo smart speakers and Alexa-based home devices. Meanwhile, OpenAI, Meta, and Apple are also developing AI-powered wearables, including smart glasses.
However, these products inevitably spark concerns about privacy and surveillance. Bee says users can delete data at any time, and that audio is not saved or used to train AI models. While recordings aren’t stored, the assistant retains user-learned preferences to provide contextual help.
Bee had previously stated that it only records voices of people who have consented and is working on features that pause listening based on topics or locations defined by the user. The startup also plans to process more data locally on-device, reducing cloud dependency and potential privacy risks.
Whether Bee’s privacy promises remain intact under Amazon remains unclear. The tech giant has faced criticism in the past, including sharing Ring security footage with law enforcement without consent or warrants, and a 2023 FTC settlement over improper video access by employees and contractors.
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