Amazon has confirmed the acquisition to TechCrunch and noted that the deal has not yet closed.
Bee, which raised $7 million last year, makes both a stand-alone Fitbit-like bracelet and an Apple Watch, which retails for $49.99, adding a $19-per-month subscription. The product is used to record everything it hears, unless the user manually mutes it, with the purpose of listening to conversations to create reminders and to-do lists for the users.
More so, in an interview for TechCrunch, Zollo said last year that the company hopes to create a “cloud phone”, or a mirror of your phone that gives the personal Bee device access to the user’s accounts and also sends notifications, making it possible to have reminders about events or send messages.
“We believe everyone should have access to a personal, ambient intelligence that feels less like a tool and more like a trusted companion. One that helps you reflect, remember, and move through the world more freely”, mentioned Bee on their website.
Other companies, such as Reddit and HumanAI, have tried to make an AI-enabled wearable like this, yet they have had little success so far. However, at a $50 price point, Bee’s devices offer a more accessible option for those curious to explore their features without making a significant financial commitment.
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A spokesperson from Amazon reported for TechCrunch that Bee employees received offers to join Amazon. With this acquisition, Amazon’s interest in wearable devices is obvious, enlarging its borders from voice-controlled home assistant products to a new line of EchoSpeakers.
In its current privacy policies, Bee also mentions that users have the ability to delete their data at any time and that audio recordings are not saved, stored, or even used for AI training. The app does store data that the AI learns about the users, yet, which is how it can function as an assistant.
Bee also indicated before that it had planned to only record the voices of people who had given their consent to do so. Bee is now also working on a feature to allow users to define boundaries – both based on topic and location – which will automatically pause the device’s learning path. The company also noted that it plans to build on-device AI processing, which will pose less of a privacy risk than processing data in the cloud.
“We believe everyone should have access to a personal, ambient intelligence that feels less like a tool and more like a trusted companion. One that helps you reflect, remember, and move through the world more freely”, mentioned Bee on their website.
Other companies, such as Reddit and HumanAI, have tried to make an AI-enabled wearable like this, yet they have had little success so far. However, at a $50 price point, Bee’s devices offer a more accessible option for those curious to explore their features without making a significant financial commitment.
Subscribe to our newsletter
A spokesperson from Amazon reported for TechCrunch that Bee employees received offers to join Amazon. With this acquisition, Amazon’s interest in wearable devices is obvious, enlarging its borders from voice-controlled home assistant products to a new line of EchoSpeakers.
In its current privacy policies, Bee also mentions that users have the ability to delete their data at any time and that audio recordings are not saved, stored, or even used for AI training. The app does store data that the AI learns about the users, yet, which is how it can function as an assistant.
Bee also indicated before that it had planned to only record the voices of people who had given their consent to do so. Bee is now also working on a feature to allow users to define boundaries – both based on topic and location – which will automatically pause the device’s learning path. The company also noted that it plans to build on-device AI processing, which will pose less of a privacy risk than processing data in the cloud.
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