Smart rings, smart screens, smart TVs, smart pins, smart... ice makers? Absolutely, why not! At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), AI was everywhere, with major companies showcasing how they are integrating AI into more devices. For Amazon, CES was the stage to unveil its latest acquisition in this space: Bee, an AI device that can be worn as a pin or a bracelet.
Amazon already has a presence in the AI consumer device market with Alexa, whose upgraded Alexa+ can run on 97% of the hardware devices Amazon has shipped. However, with Bee, the company gains a wearable that can extend its influence beyond the home.
Bee is primarily designed to record conversations, such as interviews, meetings, or lectures, while also serving as an AI companion. This AI can access world knowledge and learn more about you by combining your recordings with services you grant it access to, such as Gmail, Google Calendar, phone contacts, and Apple Health.
Given that Amazon has previously attempted to integrate Alexa into wearables like earbuds and glasses, it might seem the company is adding another AI companion somewhat haphazardly. However, these early Alexa devices did not achieve significant success against competitors like Apple's AirPods and Meta's Ray Ban AI glasses. Amazon appears to understand this, which is why it is adding Bee to its lineup.
"We see each other as complementary friends," said Bee co-founder Maria de Lourdes Zollo in an interview at CES last week, discussing the relationship between Bee and Alexa. "Bee understands the world outside the house, and Alexa understands the world inside the house. Of course, in the future, these two will come together."
This future does not mean Bee's AI will be replaced by Alexa. Daniel Rausch, Vice President of Amazon Alexa, noted that Amazon views what the Bee team created as a "significant and beloved experience." He described Bee as a "deeply interactive and personalized" AI but also agreed that, at some point, Alexa and Bee would converge.
"We know this will create more benefits for customers than [the AI experiences] existing separately," Rausch explained. "When you have access to the power of these AI experiences throughout the day, and they are continuous—we will be able to do more for customers."
De Lourdes Zollo stated that Bee learns from users, understanding their patterns, insights, and commitments, which can help it suggest to-dos and follow-ups throughout their day.
Early use cases include students recording lectures, seniors with memory issues, and speakers who don't want to always take notes manually.
"They just want a place to summarize everything they've said," said the Bee co-founder. "Based on this, we build a large knowledge graph about you. You can chat with Bee to understand what's happening to you and how you are changing through the course of your life," de Lourdes Zollo added.
Similar to Alexa, Bee uses multiple AI models in the background, but it is exploring incorporating Amazon's AI as one of them. Bee discards the audio after transcribing conversations, making it less practical for many work-related use cases that require replaying dialogue to ensure accuracy.
For Bee, 2026 holds much to accomplish, de Lourdes Zollo revealed, without divulging specifics. Beyond recently announced new features and capabilities—such as voice notes, templates, daily insights, and more—the founder said the eight-person team is developing "many new things" at its San Francisco headquarters, where Amazon already has a significant number of hardware and Alexa employees.
"Honestly, the possibilities are endless now, and that's one of the reasons we are so excited to be part of Amazon," she said.
