Amazon's New AI Wearable Records Your Meetings—Without Everyone's OK

Amazon has released two new wearable AI devices, the Bee Frontier ($74.99) and Bee Eclipse ($99.99), that can record conversations and turn them into summaries, transcripts, and to-do lists. They're designed to help you remember meetings and manage tasks, but they're raising big questions about privacy and consent in the workplace. The devices have a recording indicator light, but it's up to the wearer to get permission from others—and there's no way for others to block the recording.

So what? If you're in a meeting or on a call, a coworker wearing one of these could be recording you without your knowledge, and you'd have no say. That's a problem because laws in some states require everyone's consent to record private conversations. Employers could face lawsuits if employees use these devices improperly. Plus, sensitive company info could leak if the recordings are stored or shared.

Amazon says the devices are personal assistants, not meant to eavesdrop all day. They process audio securely and let you delete recordings. But critics argue that putting the burden on the wearer isn't enough—others need a way to opt out. For now, if you see someone wearing a Bee, you might want to ask if it's recording. And companies may need to update their policies to ban or regulate these devices in meetings.