Amazon buys Bee, the AI company that makes wearables which listen to and summarize your day
Based in San Francisco, Bee gained the spotlight earlier this year at the CES tech show in Las Vegas when it announced a $50 wristband that closely resembles a Fitbit. The device received an overwhelmingly positive response from those who tried the wearable, which leverages artificial intelligence and features microphones that can listen to and analyse conversations to provide summaries, to-do lists, and reminders for everyday tasks.
'When we started Bee, we imagined a world where AI is truly personal, where your life is understood and enhanced by technology that learns with you,' Zollo wrote. 'What began as a dream with an incredible team and community now finds a new home at Amazon.'
Bee raised $7 million last year and currently offers a Fitbit-like bracelet (alongside a $19-per-month subscription) and an Apple Watch app. Amazon has also confirmed the acquisition and shared the details with several outlets; however, the terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Amazon is the latest big tech company looking to expand its footprint in artificial intelligence through apps, services, chips, and even devices. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant recently overhauled its Alexa voice assistant, originally launched more than a decade ago, with advanced AI capabilities, as the company is now in direct competition with OpenAI, Google, Apple, and Anthropic. Its home security brand, Ring, which sells security cameras and other hardware and services, has also added generative artificial intelligence capabilities.
The motivation behind acquiring a small startup like Bee suggests that Amazon may have plans to launch an AI-powered wearable device in the future. Amazon's hardware division is led by Panos Panay, who was previously Microsoft's Chief Product Officer and was responsible for the development of Surface and Windows 11.
However, it remains to be seen how Amazon will capitalise on Bee and its team. The biggest question is whether Bee will be folded into Amazon and shut down its operations, or if the startup will remain independent and continue selling its wearable device. Bee has faced scrutiny over its privacy policies, given that the wearable device records people's voices. The company, however, claims that users can delete their data at any time and that audio recordings are not saved, stored, or used for AI training. Amazon's track record with user privacy is already questionable.
There is a rush to launch devices built on a foundation of artificial intelligence. So far, AI-infused consumer devices have received a mixed response. Over the past year, a flurry of AI-centered devices has made its debut, from the $200 Rabbit R1 to the Humane AI Pin. Both the Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin were commercial flops, with Humane AI being sold to HP. However, one device that saw some success is Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which were first released in 2021.
OpenAI, the makers of the popular ChatGPT AI bot, has expressed intentions to launch a screenless AI device. The Sam Altman-led startup acquired Jony Ive's AI devices startup, io, in May for $6.4 billion.
Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at indianexpress.com who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin.
Email: anuj.bhatia@indianexpress.com ... Read More
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