If in case you have ever used an AI transcription service for conferences, calls, lectures, or extra, you know the way good the expertise is at capturing each element of a dialog and changing it into textual content. Now, think about a world the place you would entry an AI-generated transcription of each real-world interplay you’ve. Enter the Bee AI wearable.
On Wednesday, Bee CEO Maria de Lourdes introduced via LinkedIn that Bee is becoming a member of Amazon. The idea behind Bee is straightforward: a $49 wristband outfitted with mics and AI that’s worn always to eavesdrop on your on a regular basis interactions, transcribe them, and supply extra insights like conversational search, motion suggestions, and extra.
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The main points of the deal weren’t disclosed. Nonetheless, Amazon’s curiosity in making the acquisition, paired with the discharge and recognition of different AI {hardware} merchandise such because the Meta Oakley AI smartglasses, makes one factor clear — AI-first {hardware} is about to have an enormous second.
The Bee Wearable
The Bee AI-wearable is supposed to be an AI companion that’s passively with you always in the course of the day. Whereas at first, the product might sound invasive and superfluous, at CES 2025, I wore and demoed the wristband, and the real-world functions of the product turned evident.
Utilizing audio, the wristband captures conversations all day until manually paused with the button on it. It then will get to know you and supplies AI summaries of your conversations, transcripts — which you’ll parse utilizing a chatbot interface — and actionable insights. The battery is meant to final seven days, enabling customers to actually use it as a companion with out having to fret about recharging at totally different instances in the course of the day.
The use instances are infinite. An apparent instance: being in a gathering and eager to reference the notes later. Much less so: belongings you would not usually be capable of refer again to, similar to revisiting a earlier dialog you had with a roommate by which they talked about what they needed you to get from the shop, what identify the particular person you simply met was, and even when your buddy stated their birthday was. You possibly can even get suggestions on the way you dealt with a state of affairs, asking one thing like “How might I’ve reacted higher in that state of affairs?”
Naturally, folks might have considerations about having a wearable hearken to them at each second in the course of the day. After I spoke to co-founder Ethan Sutin at CES, he reassured me that no people can see the conversations, and the information won’t be offered or used for coaching.
There are not any particulars on what Amazon plans to do with the band, and it is vitally potential the ultimate product will look lots totally different and extra in step with the suite of present Amazon AI merchandise, together with an integration into the Alexa ecosystem. Amazon is deeply concerned within the AI house with its Nova basis fashions, which could possibly be built-in into the product to make it higher.
A rising market
As generative AI turns into extra ubiquitous, the expertise has change into more and more embedded into merchandise. Almost each new cellphone, headphone, smartwatch, and wearable now has a generative AI function or expertise geared toward optimizing customers’ interactions with their gadgets. Nonetheless, to convey AI help to the following stage, you want a tool that captures as a lot data as potential in actual time, giving technique to a brand new type of product.
The sort of product has been tried earlier than, such because the Rabbit R1 or the Humane AI pin. Nonetheless, one of many largest issues with these launches — past efficiency — is that they required folks to hold an additional gadget they usually would not wish to. In consequence, we’re seeing firms attempting their hand at new type elements that may provide customers straightforward AI entry and experiences with subtly.
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OpenAI has a {hardware} AI product within the works, seen by its acquisition of the Jony Ive startup. At Google I/O 2025, Google gave extra particulars about its Android XR glasses, which pack Gemini’s help, in-lens shows, audio system, cameras, and mics into the type of conventional eyeglasses. Meta simply partnered with luxury eyewear brand Oakley to launch smartglasses embedded with Meta AI with even longer battery life, making it simpler for customers to all the time entry an assistant.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s mother or father firm, filed an April 2025 lawsuit towards OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in coaching and working its AI programs.)
As firms compete to launch a wearable that makes AI essentially the most accessible and interesting for customers so as to add to their gadget rotation, this market is sure to change into extra saturated within the close to future.
You possibly can sustain with my newest tales and tech adventures on social media. Comply with me on Twitter/X at @sabrinaa_ortiz and on Instagram at @sabrinaa.ortiz.
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