Smart rings, smart screens, smart TVs, smart pins, smart… ice cubes? Of course, why not! Artificial intelligence was everywhere at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where companies big and small showed how they’re bringing AI to more devices. For Amazon, CES was the time to show off its newest acquisition in the space: Bee, an artificial intelligence device that can be worn as a clip pin or bracelet.
Amazon already has an entry into the AI consumer device space with Alexa, whose upgraded AI version, Alexa+, can run on 97% of the hardware devices Amazon has shipped. However, with Beethe company gains access to a wearable that could extend its reach outside the home.
Largely designed for recording conversations such as interviews, meetings or classes, Bee also works as an AI companion. AI has access to global knowledge and learns more about you from a combination of your records and the services you allow it to access, such as Gmail, Google Calendar, your phone contacts, and Apple Health.
Given that Amazon has already tried to integrate Alexa into wearables like headphones and glasses, it could seem like the company is muddying the waters by adding another AI companion. However, these previous Alexa devices haven’t taken off in the face of competition like Apple’s AirPods and Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. Amazon seems to understand this, which is why it’s adding Bee to its lineup.
“We see each other as complementary 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. 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 endearing experience.” He describes Bee as a “deeply engaging and personal” AI, but also agreed that, at some point, Alexa and Bee will meet.
“We know it will create even more benefits for customers than [the AI experiences] they do on their own,” Rausch explained. “When you have access to the power of these AI experiences with you throughout the day and they’re continuous — we’re going to be able to do so much more for customers.”
De Lourdes Zollo said Bee learns from its users, gaining an understanding of their patterns, insights and engagements, which can help it suggest things to do and track throughout your day.
Early use cases include students recording lectures, seniors who have trouble remembering things, and people who talk for a living and don’t want to always take notes by hand.
“They just want one place to have the whole summary of everything they’ve said,” the Bee co-founder said. “So based on that, we build a really big knowledge graph [about] you, where you can go and chat with Bee and understand what happened to you, but also how you change over the course of your life,” added de Lourdes Zollo.
Similar to Alexa, Bee uses a combination of AI models under the hood, but explores adding Amazon’s AI as one to the mix. After the conversation is transcribed, Bee discards the audio, making it impractical for many work-related use cases where you need to replay the conversation to ensure accuracy.
There’s still a lot to come for the Bee in 2026, de Lourdes Zollo teased, giving nothing away. Apart from his recent announcements new features and functionality — such as voice memos, templates, daily information and more — the founder said the eight-person team is working on “a lot of new things” from its headquarters in San Francisco, where Amazon already has a large number of hardware and Alexa workers.
“Honestly, the possibilities are endless now, and that’s one of the reasons we’re really excited to be a part of Amazon,” he said.
