SAN FRANCISCO, California: Amazon is making a fresh bet on artificial intelligence wearables by acquiring Bee, a San Francisco-based startup known for its AI-powered bracelet that records, transcribes, and summarizes conversations.

The device, priced at US$50, can distill what it hears into to-do lists, summaries, and reminders. Its always-on microphone can be muted manually, offering users some control over privacy — a point Amazon emphasized in confirming the deal this week. While the acquisition has not yet closed, the e-commerce and cloud services giant said it plans to collaborate with Bee to enhance user transparency and control.

Bee co-founder and CEO Maria de Lourdes Zollo revealed the deal in a LinkedIn post, writing: "We imagined a world where AI is truly personal, where your life is understood and enhanced by technology that learns with you." She did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The startup was founded in 2022 and has been part of a growing wave of companies experimenting with on-the-go AI assistants. Amazon declined to disclose financial terms of the acquisition.

This move follows Amazon's earlier, less successful attempt at entering the wearables market with its Halo wristband, a health tracker that was discontinued in 2023. It also produces Echo Frames, smart glasses embedded with its voice assistant Alexa.

AI wearables have become an increasingly competitive space. Earlier this year, OpenAI acquired io, a hardware startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, in a deal reportedly valued at $6.5 billion. Other startups in the field have delivered mixed results, with many still navigating technical, privacy, and market adoption hurdles.

In her announcement, Zollo thanked Amazon Devices chief Panos Panay, hinting that Bee will be integrated into his team after the deal's completion. Panay joined Amazon in 2023 and has been leading a revamp of the company's hardware division to focus more aggressively on AI.