Amazon has just acquired Bee, the startup behind a $50 wearable that’s always listening. Big tech companies, especially Amazon, are heavily investing in AI, and this acquisition marks their next big step. After enhancing Alexa with AI features, Amazon is diving deeper into the wearable market. Bee’s main product, the Bee Pioneer, is a wristband similar to a Fitbit, priced at $49.99 with an optional $19/month subscription. 
The wearable captures everything you say and do, offering a personalized AI assistant that learns and grows with you.
Although the deal isn’t officially closed, Bee’s entire team has been invited to join Amazon. According to Bee’s co-founder, Maria de Lourdes Zollo, the acquisition represents the realization of a dream: a world where AI becomes truly personal, adapting to your life and needs. Bee, which started as a small team with a strong vision, is now ready to evolve at Amazon.
The Bee Pioneer’s main feature is its AI-driven assistant that listens to conversations and activities, summarizing your day, suggesting tasks, or reminding you of past events. While it’s always on by default, users can mute it whenever they want. The wearable also syncs with an Apple Watch app, adding more convenience.
Despite the affordable price tag, Bee’s product enters a market already explored by other startups like Rabbit and Humane AI. However, Bee’s pricing and accessibility make it stand out as a more approachable entry point for those curious about AI wearables.
That said, the device’s constant listening nature raises some serious privacy concerns. Bee assures that users can delete their data at any time, and that the audio is not used for AI training. They also promise to record only voices of people who have consented and are working on features that allow users to set boundaries, such as pausing recordings based on location or conversation topics. Additionally, Bee is pushing for on-device AI processing rather than relying on cloud storage, which is a safer option for privacy.
However, once Bee becomes part of Amazon, questions around data privacy may resurface. Amazon has faced scrutiny in the past for how it handles user data, especially after reports surfaced about employees reviewing Alexa recordings. Despite the potential for privacy challenges, the integration of Bee’s AI with Amazon’s existing Alexa platform presents an exciting opportunity for Amazon to expand its AI reach.
Though Amazon has had both successes and failures with wearables-such as Echo Frames smart glasses and the 2023 discontinuation of the Halo health tracker-the Bee acquisition signals a strong push towards AI-powered wearable tech. Whether it will revolutionize the market or become a privacy headache remains to be seen.