Hands-on with Bee, Amazon’s latest AI wearable

New York: Amazon has a new device called Bee. It’s an AI wearable that helps you record conversations. Using Bee is easy; just press a button to start or stop recording. You can choose what a double press does, like marking a part of the chat. You can even leave voice notes by holding the button.

Bee works like other recording tools, like Otter and Fireflies, but it organizes conversations differently. Instead of a simple transcript, it divides audio into sections and summarizes each part. For example, if you interview someone, it can split the talk into sections, such as the introduction and product details. Each section is color-coded to help you find what you need quickly.

In the app, we figured out that we could label speakers by tapping on their segment. However, it isn’t as clear as other tools that let you name each speaker easily. One downside is that after changing speech to text, Bee removes the audio. This makes it hard if you want to check what was said.

Amazon thinks Bee can be more than just a work tool. It’s designed to help you in daily life. For example, after meeting someone, it might suggest connecting on LinkedIn. You can also use it to leave yourself voice notes instead of writing in a notebook.

Bee has a memory section to look back at memories from past days. There’s also a “Grow” part that gives you insights based on what it learns about you. Plus, you can add facts about yourself, similar to other AI tools that remember things you talk about.

Bee will get even more features soon, says Amazon. Unlike some similar devices, Bee isn’t always listening. You need to ask if it’s okay to record someone’s conversation, especially in public places.

When you do record, a light turns green to show that it’s in use.

One detail to note is that Bee’s band feels a little weak and fell off a couple of times, even while sitting still. The clip-on pin seems sturdier, though.

While the app for Bee is better than Amazon’s other apps, like Alexa, it raises questions. Do people really need a device that records conversations in everyday life?

If these devices become popular, we may need to rethink what’s okay and what’s not when it comes to recording audio. Today, it’s usually not polite to record people without asking, even if it’s legal in public.

At tech events, we felt the change already. A worker joked about recording our conversation with their own device. It felt strange to know that what we said could be recorded without our agreement.

Bee’s appeal will help Amazon see if people want this kind of technology in their lives.