Amazon launches new AI devices that can listen and take notes

Amazon launched two new AI gadgets on Thursday that the company says can listen to conversations, compose notes and issue reminders.

The first, the Bee Frontier, is a silicone wristband that can also be clipped to clothing and retails for $74.99. Amazon also announced the Bee Eclipse, a credit card-sized device that magnetically attaches to the back of a phone and goes for $99.99.

The new tech offerings are engineered by Bee, an AI wearable maker that Amazon acquired last year.

Equipped with microphones, Bee’s “personal AI” devices transcribe meetings or everyday conversations, helping people document moments hands-free. The devices can then recommend “personalized goals and actions” based on the conversation, Amazon said.

“It takes note of the details you might otherwise forget and turns them into useful conversation summaries, to-dos, reminders, and insights,” the company said in its release.

If someone is on a phone call planning a vacation, for example, the Bee Frontier or Bee Eclipse will create a summary of the trip, documenting details such as flight times or hotel reservations.

Amazon said users can also connect Bee to existing apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, and Microsoft Outlook, allowing the AI technology to draft follow-up emails or create calendar invites based on what was discussed. The Bee devices can also be linked to Amazon’s Alexa+ and Amazon.com.

Users can get conversation summaries, recaps and 14 days of memory for free; if they want more advanced capabilities, such as integration with Alexa+ and Amazon.com and suggested to-dos, they’ll need a Bee Pro subscription, which costs $11.99 per month.

Amazon emphasized Bee’s privacy protections, noting that “no one, including Amazon, can access your data.” The audio recordings are deleted after the Bee devices transcribe them, and no one can access your data unless you share it, the company said.

The Bee devices are part of a trillion-dollar market of AI gadgets that companies are marketing to consumers. Meta recently announced Muse, an AI assistant that comes in the form of a pocket-sized keychain. Microsoft, OpenAI and Samsung are among the other companies that have introduced AI-powered products aimed at consumers.