AI Wearables Gain Traction as Productivity and Companion Tools
Latest AI Wearables Integrate Intelligence into Daily Routines
A new generation of AI-powered wearables and gadgets has entered the market, aiming to embed artificial intelligence directly into users’ everyday activities. These devices, ranging from pendants and rings to handheld units, focus on recording conversations, providing reminders, and offering personalized interactions, with prices starting as low as $49.99.
Key Devices in the AI Wearables Space
Several notable products are currently available, each targeting different user needs such as productivity enhancement or emotional support. These gadgets connect via Bluetooth to smartphones and often require subscription-based apps for full functionality.
Bee: Affordable Audio Recording Pendant
- Priced at $49.99, the Bee pendant can be clipped to clothing or worn as a fitness band.
- It records audio continuously, learns user routines and preferences to generate reminders and notes.
- Features a mute button for privacy control.
- Companion iOS app, included with a $19 monthly subscription, enables direct interaction, daily key takeaways, and chronological conversation transcripts.
- Amazon acquired the startup behind Bee in July 2025.
Friend: Emotional Support Companion Necklace
- This $129 white pendant serves as an AI companion that detects tone and mood for conversational responses.
- It listens constantly via Bluetooth connection to a phone, offering proactive messages such as encouragement before events.
- Backed by founders from Solana, Perplexity, and Z Fellows, it has generated significant interest in the personal AI market.
- Faced public criticism in September 2025 over a New York City subway ad campaign, with vandalism including phrases like “surveillance capitalism.”
Specialized Tools for Professionals and Users
Other devices emphasize transcription, summarization, and task management, appealing to professionals like journalists and lawyers who need to capture and organize information efficiently.
Limitless: Conversation Transcription Pendant
- Formerly Rewind, this $99 pendant records and transcribes meetings, calls, and conversations (with consent) into searchable summaries.
- Backed by a16z, it pivoted to hardware in April 2024 to focus on AI-powered recording.
- Companion app provides 10 hours of monthly AI features like transcription; unlimited access costs $29 per month.
Omi: Versatile AI Assistant with Head Attachment Option
- At $89, Omi summarizes conversations, creates to-do lists, schedules meetings, and offers personalized advice via ChatGPT integration.
- Worn as a necklace or attached to the head with medical tape, it detects when addressed by the user.
- Continuously processes conversations for contextual memory.
Plaud NotePin and NotePro: High-Capacity Recording Wearables
- The $159 NotePin is a voice recorder wearable for wrist or magnetic clothing attachment, with real-time phone storage.
- Includes 300 free monthly transcription minutes; Pro plan at $8.33 per month unlocks 1,200 minutes.
- Aimed at lawyers, journalists, and students for meetings and lectures.
- The company plans a $179 ultra-thin Plaud NotePro launch in 2025, available for preorder.
Rabbit R1: Handheld AI Task Performer
- This $199 retro-styled device features a touchscreen and rotating camera, designed as a phone companion for tasks like booking flights or ordering meals.
- Launched in early 2024 with initial software challenges, a recent update added “Creations” for building custom tools and games.
- Expanded AI capabilities address early performance issues.
These devices highlight a growing trend in AI hardware, with implications for privacy, as constant listening raises concerns about data security—though all include consent and mute options. Uncertainties remain around long-term adoption rates and regulatory responses to audio surveillance features. As AI wearables become more accessible, consider how integrating one might streamline your note-taking or daily interactions at work or home.