In early exams with a overview unit of Bee, we discovered the gadget itself was simple to make use of. It’s only a press of a button to show recording on or off. Within the app, you possibly can configure whether or not a double press bookmarks a bit of the dialog, processes the present dialog, or each, and you may set whether or not a press and maintain gesture enables you to go away a voice observe or chat with the AI assistant. (Bee’s companion app at present reminds you to allow voice notes, so we did.)
Like many different AI services and products, akin to Plaud, Granola, Fathom, Fireflies, Otter, and extra, Bee can pay attention, report, and transcribe audio conversations. The place it differs is that as a substitute of providing an summary or a uncooked transcript, it segments the audio into sections and summarizes every half. As an example, an interview could be segmented into sections just like the introduction, the nitty-gritty product particulars, an summary of business developments, and no matter else you’ll have talked about.
Every part is tinted with a distinct background shade for simpler differentiation as you scroll. You may faucet into a person part to see the precise transcription.
It wasn’t instantly apparent label the audio system within the app — we discovered we might faucet on a section of the dialog to substantiate if we had been the speaker, however this fell in need of different skilled AI transcribers, the place every speaker could possibly be labeled. As well as, Bee discards the audio after transcription, making it a non-starter to be used instances the place you might want to play again the audio to make sure accuracy.
That stated, Bee isn’t essentially meant to be a piece software. Amazon sees this as an AI that may dwell alongside you as you go about your day. By integrating with Google’s providers, Bee can tie a recorded dialog to a activity. As an example, after assembly somebody at a convention, it might recommend that you just pal them on LinkedIn or analysis their product.
You may as well go away your self voice notes, as a substitute for writing one thing down in your notes app, as an example.
One other part in Bee’s app enables you to look again at previous days’ reminiscences, whereas a “Develop” part will provide insights the extra it learns about you. You may as well affirm and add to a “information” part about your self, which is considerably equal to different AI chatbots’ capacity to recollect stuff you mentioned.
Amazon says it is going to be delivery extra options for Bee within the 12 months forward.
Bee isn’t all the time listening by default, which is why rival wearables like the Pal AI pendant noticed backlash. As a substitute, you’re meant to ask in the event you can report somebody’s dialog (except at a public occasion of some kind, the place recording is already anticipated).
If you do report, a inexperienced mild activates, alerting others to the truth that the gadget is in use.
Bee’s sports activities band was just a little flimsy. The band fell off twice whereas being worn, each instances whereas simply sitting and never shifting the palms a lot (like in a taxi). We’ve not but examined the clip-on pin, however it feels extra sturdy.
Total, the cellular app’s design is way forward of the apps Amazon has constructed in-house, just like the Alexa cellular expertise, and it’s simple to make use of. However the premise that we want an AI particularly to report conversations to be taught extra about us continues to be largely untested. Is there a world the place such gadgets make sense for customers who aren’t recording in skilled settings, like conferences and interviews?
Plus, if AI listening gadgets go mainstream, there may also must be some kind of cultural shift when it comes to what’s applicable and what’s not. Right now, it’s considerably seemed down upon to report video of on a regular basis individuals going about their lives, regardless that it’s technically authorized after they’re in public; equally, it might be thought-about tasteless or gauche to report audio with an AI gadget in the event you don’t first ask permission.
Not everybody will abide by that social contract, in fact, which might see individuals self-censoring their speech in public.
At CES, as an example, we had been chatting with a rep on the Soundcore sales space. After they appreciated one thing I stated a few competitor’s product, they joked, ‘Say that louder into my microphone,’ pointing to the already-recording AI gadget subtly pinned to their shirt. It was an odd expertise to comprehend that all the things stated in the true world might at some point be “on the report,” whether or not you consented or not.
Bee’s traction — or lack thereof — will assist Amazon decide if that’s a world that buyers really need.
