Why Amazon bought Bee, an AI wearable

Summary

Smart rings, smart screens, smart TVs, smart pins, smart … ice cube makers? Sure, why not! AI was everywhere at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where companies large and small were showing off how they’re bringing AI to more devices. For Amazon, CES was a time to show off its newest acquisition in the space: Bee, an AI device that can be worn as a clip-on pin or a bracelet. Amazon already has an entry in the AI consumer devices space with Alexa, whose upgraded AI-powered version, Alexa+, can run on 97% of the hardware devices Amazon has shipped. However, with Bee, the company is gaining access to a wearable that could extend its reach outside the home. Largely designed for recording conversations like interviews, meetings, or classes, Bee also works as an AI companion. The AI has access to world knowledge, and it learns more about you from a combination of your recordings and the services you permit it to access like Gmail, Google Calendar, your phone’s contacts, and Apple Health. Given that Amazon has already tried integrating Alexa into wearables like earbuds and glasses, it could seem like the company is muddying the waters with the addition of another AI companion. However, those earlier Alexa devices have not taken off in the face of competition like Apple’s AirPods and Meta’s Ray Ban AI glasses. Amazon seems to understand this, which is why it’s adding Bee to its lineup. “We see each other as complementary friends,” says Bee co-founder Maria de Lourdes Zollo of Bee’s relationship with Alexa, in an interview at CES last week. “Bee has the understanding of outside the house, and Alexa has the understanding of inside the house. Of course, there will be a future where these two things come together.” That future doesn’t yet mean Bee’s AI will be replaced by Alexa. Noted Amazon Alexa VP Daniel Rausch, Amazon thinks what the team at Bee created is an “important and lovable experience.” He describes Bee as a “deeply engaging and personal” AI...