Amazon has announced its plan to acquire Bee, a San Francisco-based AI startup known for developing wearable technology that acts as a personal assistant by listening to conversations and generating reminders and to-do lists. The deal, which has been confirmed by both Amazon and Bee’s co-founder Maria de Lourdes Zollo via LinkedIn, is pending closure.

About Bee and Its Innovative Products

Bee produces a wristband priced at $49.99 along with a $19 monthly subscription service. The device, similar in form to a Fitbit, continuously records surrounding audio unless muted by the user. Using AI, it processes these recordings to help users manage daily tasks effectively. Alongside the wristband, Bee offers an Apple Watch app with similar functionalities.

Last year, Bee secured $7 million in funding to further develop its vision of a "cloud phone"—a device that mirrors the user’s smartphone, granting access to notifications and accounts for enhanced personalized assistance such as event reminders and message sending.

Strategic Significance for Amazon

This acquisition signals Amazon's growing interest in wearable AI devices, complementing its established voice-controlled products like the Echo speakers. Amazon aims to broaden its AI product ecosystem beyond voice assistants by integrating such wearable technology.

Bee’s relatively affordable price point makes its technology accessible to a wider audience compared to pricier competitors like the Humane AI Pin, which was priced at $499 but failed to gain traction.

Amazon’s spokesperson confirmed that Bee employees will be invited to join Amazon, where their expertise will likely contribute to Amazon’s broader AI and wearable product initiatives.

Privacy Considerations and Challenges

Bee’s devices record ambient audio to provide their AI services, raising privacy and security questions. Bee states in its privacy policy that audio recordings are not stored or used for AI training and that users can delete their data at any time. The company is also developing features that allow users to set boundaries—such as pausing recordings based on location or topic—to ensure user control and privacy, emphasizing on-device AI processing to minimize risks.

However, it remains unclear whether these privacy commitments will continue unchanged once Bee is integrated into Amazon, a company with a mixed history regarding data privacy. Past controversies include Amazon’s Ring security cameras sharing footage with law enforcement without user consent and FTC settlements over lax security controls.

Amazon has publicly reassured that customer privacy remains a priority and stated it designs products to safeguard user data while giving users control over their experiences. This principle is expected to extend to Bee’s technology as well.

Context in the Broader AI Wearable Market

Amazon joins other tech giants exploring AI wearables. OpenAI is reportedly working on its own AI hardware, Meta is embedding AI into its smart glasses, and Apple is rumored to be developing AI-powered smart glasses, expected by 2026.