Author’s Note: On November 1, I’ll be running the 2026 New York City Marathon in memory of my uncle Chris and in support of the Parkinson’s Foundation. As this newsletter lands in your inbox, I’m likely sprinting up and down a hill as Tuesday is for speed work. If you’d like to learn more about Parkinson’s disease or support my fundraising efforts, you can visit my fundraising page here.
Last October, I wrote People Don’t Want to Wear Technology, which dove into why people are hesitant to wear technology. I recapped the backlash against Friend’s AI necklace, including its subway ads (if you lived in Manhattan a year ago, you likely saw plenty of graffiti written over the ads). You know, the necklace that listens to your conversations throughout your day and chats back with you. Yeah, it wasn’t so well received last fall.
Before Friend’s launch was Humane AI. This AI pin allowed users to send text messages and make calls by speaking to it. Screenless and the size of a pin, Humane was early in the most recent wave of AI wearables. It was meant to replace smartphones, which was a naïve bet because people like their smartphones. I believe it completely ignored consumer behavior and interests. Humane eventually shut down its AI Pin business and sold its AI assets to HP for a fraction of the capital it had raised from investors.
A year later, the tables have turned. Plenty of AI devices that record conversations are hitting the market, and major tech players are looking to stake a claim in this budding consumer technology. Meta has Ray-Ban Smart glasses, Apple has Siri Recap, and now Amazon has Bee.
From Amazon’s Bee product launch announcement:
“Bee is personal AI that remembers what matters from your conversations and turns it into useful insights and reminders… When turned on, Bee gathers context from your conversations and connected apps to provide insights and recommendations.”
You can clip Bee onto your clothes, wear it on your wrist, or use a magnet to attach it to the back of your phone. It records data in real time and keeps it private, only for your consumption. In my opinion, it’s subtle and tasteful. A lot less cringeworthy than the original wearable, Google Glass, and a lot less creepy than Friend (even in fall 2026, Friend’s marketing is a bit off-putting).
Just one year ago, AI wearables were struggling to get off the ground. And now, they are becoming… in vogue? How did this happen?
Two things: Fitness wearables that leverage AI normalize the experience of wearing technology and AI notetakers demonstrate the utility of capturing information.
See, fitness wearables are all the rage today. Oura is seeing 74% year-over-year growth, with a planned IPO for this year. And then there’s Whoop (screenless wearable band), which raised a Series G round earlier this year, valuing the company at over $10 billion.
These companies use AI to provide personalized insights into health metrics and performance. I personally wear a Garmin watch, and although it’s important to take the data with a grain of salt, I’ve found the insights incredibly helpful to improve my running performance and sleep quality. As more people experience benefits of tracking their health metrics, they may become more comfortable with wearing technology. It’s also worth noting that Oura and Whoop are generally perceived as sleek and fashionable, which bolsters their brand. AI wearables are earning its utility in a society that has generally been skeptical about wearable technology.
Also, I believe AI notetakers paved the way for people to feel more comfortable around AI recording devices. If you’re familiar with Granola or Fathom, you know how much of a productivity gamechanger it is to have a virtual notetaker follow you around from meeting to meeting who you can ask any question to after (and during) the meeting. Searchable notes, summaries, and automated follow-ups are a game changer. Workplace productivity software helps people realize the value in outsourcing some of their memory. As well as normalizing being recorded in meetings.
There’s something dystopian about being recorded. However, the AI notetakers can provide value that makes you think, “although I am recording myself (as well as other recording myself)”, at least I’m going to get some benefit out of it. My main point here is that people may accept a privacy trade-off when a product delivers immediate, tangible utility.
So, Amazon enters the AI wearables market. I’m keen to see how successful this product is for them as they’ve certainly proven untrustworthy in the past. Amazon settled for $2.5 billion on their wildly misleading enrollment and cancellation Prime policies. And then you have Meta, who also just settled a nearly $18 billion lawsuit for violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Will consumers be willing to fork over their personal data to these companies? We shall see.
But history repeats itself and people like free stuff. How you weigh privacy versus utility influences your stance on these wearables. People have gotten used to handing over their data for utility. Think about social media. You get to scroll Instagram and TikTok for no explicit cost; yet your data is immediately forked over to advertisers who will try to sell you stuff. It’s a trade-off we’ve been making for nearly two decades.
Thankfully, I see the AI wearable product as something that you must explicitly opt into, meaning you have to go out and buy it and pay a monthly subscription (in most cases). At least if you’re paying a subscription fee, you aren’t likely subject to ad-supported software. Imagine you’re having a conversation with a friend, and you start hearing an ad play for State Farm Insurance. Advertising-funded hardware doesn’t quite fit the bill here.
Fitness wearables and AI notetakers have slowly shown consumers the value of having AI track your personal data or listen in on your conversations. Now, Big Tech is looking to build off of the foundation that these niche players have laid. Fitness wearables tap into the broader health and wellness trend, while AI notetakers solve a real pain point for anyone who spends most of their day in meetings. The open question remains: will consumers trade more of their privacy for that same utility in their everyday lives?