Peter Mo, a former Plaud executive, raised $26 million across multiple rounds for Ambi, an always-listening AI assistant, led by Luminous Ventures and device maker Huaqin, according to TechCrunch and RuntimeWire.
Ambi ships apps for iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch that take meeting notes and, when a user turns on continuous listening, which is off by default, surface suggestions and relevant information while a meeting is still happening, drawing on a user's calendar, past meetings, knowledge base and web data, TechCrunch reported.
Mo said "the way we interact with intelligence is limited" and that Ambi is meant to let people "use AI anytime and anywhere," according to TechCrunch. The company plans a standalone wearable device for late 2026.
Mo acknowledged that responsibility for disclosing ambient recording to other people in the room currently falls on the user, telling TechCrunch the industry "hasn't solved this problem." Ambi says it does not retain raw recordings, keeping only encrypted data, and employs more than 50 people across San Francisco, Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
An assistant that listens by default raises a consent problem harder than the product itself: everyone else in the room did not opt in. Founders building always-on AI hardware or software should expect the same question Ambi is already fielding, not as an edge case but as the first thing a buyer or a reporter asks.