Amazon's latest move in the AI space is an acquisition. The company is purchasing a startup called Bee, which makes a wearable and an Apple Watch app that can record everything the wearer says. Amazon said that the deal has not closed and that the terms of the acquisition are confidential. Although the company did not provide specific numbers, it added that all Bee employees received offers to join Amazon. TechCrunch first reported this news based on a LinkedIn post from Bee founder Maria de Lourdes Zollo.
Bee presents its platform as a personalized AI assistant that passively learns from its wearer by listening to all of their conversations and activities. While the wearable does have a button to mute recording, it can theoretically observe every single thing the owner does or says. The app can then summarize daily activities, suggest to-do items or recall previously discussed details. Bee's website also gives examples of using the assistant for personal growth, such as tracking successes or possible improvements as a parent.
Amazon has had a mixed bag with wearables endeavors. It still sells Echo Frames smart glasses, but shuttered its Halo health tracker in 2023. The AI angle of Bee may be of particular interest for Amazon, especially as the company pushes its Alexa+ generative AI assistant. The always-listening aspect of Bee also harkens back to Amazon's privacy debacle of a few years back when it had to address concerns that employees were reviewing conversations recorded by Alexa, including some recorded by accident.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-is-acquiring-an-ai-wearable-that-listens-to-everything-you-do-221103233.html?src=rss
