Why Amazon bought Bee, an AI wearable

Smart rings, smart displays, 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, as companies large and small were showing off how to bring AI to more devices. For Amazon, CES was a good time to show off its latest acquisition in the space: the Bee, an AI-powered device that can be worn as a pin or bracelet.

Amazon already has a foray into AI-powered consumer devices with Alexa, whose updated AI-powered version, Alexa+, can work on 97% of the devices Amazon has shipped. However, with the Bee, the company will have access to a wearable device that can extend its range outside the home.

Bee is largely designed to record conversations such as interviews, meetings, or classes, and also serves as an AI companion. AI has access to global knowledge, and learns more about you through a combination of your recordings and the services you allow it to access like Gmail, Google Calendar, your phone contacts, and Apple Health.

Given that Amazon has already tried to integrate Alexa into wearable devices like earbuds and glasses, it might seem like the company is muddying the waters by adding another AI-powered companion. However, previous Alexa devices haven’t taken off against 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 complete friends,” Bee co-founder Maria De Lourdes Zollo says of Bee’s relationship with Alexa, in an interview at CES last week. “Bee has an understanding of the outside of the home, and Alexa has an understanding of the inside of the home. And of course, there will be a future where these two things come together.”

This future does not yet mean that Bee’s AI will be replaced by Alexa. Amazon Alexa vice president Daniel Rausch noted that Amazon believes what the Bee team has created is an “important and beloved experience.” He describes Bee as an “attractive and very personal” AI, but also agreed that Alexa and Bee will get together at some point.

“We know it will create more benefit for customers than anything else [the AI experiences] “They’re doing it on their own,” Rausch explained. “When you have access to the power of these AI experiences with you all day long, and they’re continuous — we’ll be able to do a lot more for customers.”

De Lourdes Zollo said Bee learns from its users, gaining an understanding of their styles, insights and commitments, which can help it suggest to-do items and follow-ups throughout your day.

Early use cases included students recording lectures, seniors who had trouble remembering things, and people who talked for a living and didn’t always want to take notes by hand.

“They just want a place that has a summary of everything they said,” the Bee co-founder said. “So, based on that, we built a big knowledge graph [about] “You, where you can chat with Bee, understand what happened to you, but also how you change throughout your life,” De Lord Zulu added.

Similar to Alexa, Bee uses a range of AI models under the hood, but is exploring adding Amazon’s AI as one into the mix. After transcribing the conversation, Bee discards the audio, making it impractical for many business-related use cases where you need to play back the conversation to ensure accuracy.

There’s still a lot ahead for Bee in 2026, D-Lord Zulu teased, without revealing anything. In addition to recent announcements of new features and functionality — like voice notes, templates, daily insights, and more — the founder said the eight-person team is working on “a lot of new things” out of their San Francisco headquarters, where Amazon already has a large number of devices and Alexa employees.

“Honestly, there are endless possibilities now, and that’s one of the reasons we’re really excited to be part of Amazon,” she said.