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Smart rings, smart screens, smart TVs, smart pins, smart \u2026 ice cube makers<\/a>? Sure, why not! AI was everywhere at this year\u2019s Consumer Electronics Show (CES<\/a>) in Las Vegas, where companies large and small were showing off how they\u2019re bringing AI to more devices. For Amazon, CES was a time to show off its newest acquisition in the space: Bee<\/a>, an AI device that can be worn as a clip-on pin or a bracelet.<\/p>\n Amazon already has an entry in the AI consumer devices space with Alexa, whose upgraded AI-powered version, Alexa+, can run on 97% of the hardware devices Amazon has shipped<\/a>. However, with Bee<\/a>, the company is gaining access to a wearable that could extend its reach outside the home. <\/p>\n Largely designed for recording conversations like interviews, meetings, or classes, Bee also works as an AI companion. The AI has access to world knowledge, and it learns more about you from a combination of your recordings and the services you permit it to access like Gmail, Google Calendar, your phone\u2019s contacts, and Apple Health.<\/p>\n Given that Amazon has already tried integrating Alexa into wearables like earbuds<\/a> and glasses<\/a>, it could seem like the company is muddying the waters with the addition of another AI companion. However, those earlier Alexa devices have not taken off in the face of competition like Apple\u2019s AirPods and Meta\u2019s Ray Ban AI glasses. Amazon seems to understand this, which is why it\u2019s adding Bee to its lineup.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see each other as complementary friends,\u201d says Bee co-founder Maria de Lourdes Zollo of Bee\u2019s relationship with Alexa, in an interview at CES last week. \u201cBee has the understanding of outside the house, and Alexa has the understanding of inside the house. Of course, there will be a future where these two things come together.\u201d <\/p>\n That future doesn\u2019t yet mean Bee\u2019s AI will be replaced by Alexa. Noted Amazon Alexa VP Daniel Rausch, Amazon thinks what the team at Bee created is an \u201cimportant and lovable experience.\u201d He describes Bee as a \u201cdeeply engaging and personal\u201d AI, but he also agreed that, at some point, Alexa and Bee would come together.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that it will create even more benefit for customers than what [the AI experiences] do on their own,\u201d Rausch explained. \u201cWhen you have access to the power of these AI experiences with you throughout the day, and they\u2019re continuous \u2014 we\u2019re gonna be able to do so much more for customers.\u201d <\/p>\n De Lourdes Zollo said that Bee learns from its users, gaining an understanding of their patterns, insights, and commitments, which can help it to suggest to-do items and follow-ups throughout your day. <\/p>\n Early use cases have included students who record lectures, elderly people who have trouble remembering things, and people who speak for a living and don\u2019t want to always take notes manually. <\/p>\n \u201cThey just want a place to have all the summarization of everything they said,\u201d Bee\u2019s co-founder said. \u201cSo based on that, we build a really big graph of knowledge [about] you, where you can go chat with Bee, and have an understanding of what happened to you, but also how you\u2019re changing during the course of your life,\u201d de Lourdes Zollo added.<\/p>\n Similar to Alexa, Bee uses a combination of AI models under the hood, but it\u2019s exploring adding Amazon\u2019s AI as one in the mix. After transcribing the conversation, Bee discards the audio, making it impractical for many work-related use cases where you need to play back the conversation to ensure accuracy.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still much ahead for Bee in 2026, de Lourdes Zollo teased, without giving anything away. In addition to recent announcements of new features and functionality<\/a> \u2014 like voice notes, templates, daily insights, and more \u2014 the founder said the eight-person team is working on \u201cmany new things\u201d out of their HQ in San Francisco, where Amazon already has a large number of hardware and Alexa employees.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, it\u2019s endless possibilities now, and that\u2019s one of the reasons why we\u2019re really excited to be part of Amazon,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n