company

Apple

American technology company

AI · 18 Oct 2026Always-on AI gadgets test legal limits on privacy and consent

A new generation of AI-powered wearables from Amazon, Apple and Meta that constantly listen and interpret speech is pushing the boundaries of privacy law, with legal experts warning that users could potentially face liability for recording private conversations without consent, even when no audio is stored. The devices, including Amazon's Bee line, Apple Watch Series 12 and Meta's smart glasses, are designed to transcribe, summarize and analyze a user's day, but critics say they enable covert surveillance of bystanders and test laws written long before continuous audio processing existed.