Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley has unveiled his newest enterprise and sure, it is one other location-based social app. However, somewhat than the check-ins Crowley first popularized greater than 15 years in the past, “BeeBot” has a really 2025 tackle the idea. As a substitute, the app is an AI-powered “DJ” that may ship contextual audio updates to your ears as you progress by means of your day.
Crowley describes BeeBot as an “app for AirPods,” although it’s going to work with any sort of headphones, in addition to sensible glasses with audio capabilities like Meta’s. “Everytime you put your AirPods in, it activates,” Crowley explains in a publish on Medium. “Everytime you take your AirPods out it turns off. And when it’s ‘on’ it’ll push you snippets of audio concerning the folks, locations, and occasions which might be close by.’
To do that, you may want to offer the app entry to your location and share a handful of “key phrases” about your pursuits. You can too share your contacts to get updates from pals who’re utilizing the app. The BeeBot “DJ,” which after all has an AI voice, will then be capable of discuss to you as you all through the dat and warn you to fascinating occasions, landmarks or updates from pals who occur to be close by.
In some methods, it appears like Crowley is attempting to re-create among the serendipitous IRL social interactions enabled by the unique model of Foursquare. BeeBot would not have “mayorships,” badges or any of the gamification options that helped popularize FourSquare, nevertheless it’s meant to have among the “similar playful spirit,” of OG Foursquare, in accordance with Crowley. (Foursquare shut down its metropolis information app of the identical identify earlier this 12 months, although its check-in app, Swarm, lives on.)
And, as a result of it is 2025, there’s additionally an entire bunch of AI thrown in, together with “a mixture of completely different LLMs” and “artificial voices.” The app is “powered by a TikTok-style algorithm,” Crowley says, “however one which’s targeted on what’s occurring close by and IRL.”
There additionally appears to be a little bit of DNA from Marsbot, the short-lived (and IMO very underrated) chat-based app Foursquare launched in 2016 that might proactively present personalised restaurant suggestions. Whereas BeeBot is not as closely targeted on neighborhood suggestions as Foursquare, it’s meant to proactively let you already know about close by happenings you may be concerned with or perhaps a little bit of gossip from pals. Along with pals’ standing updates, the app will draw on native Substacks and newsletters for related information a few given space.
Crowley says the DJ’s audio cues could “sometimes” interrupt your music or podcast to offer an replace, although customers ought to anticipate to listen to these solely a pair instances all through the day. BeeBot will not interrupt voice or video calls.
BeeBot, which is the inaugural mission of Crowley’s new firm Hopscotch Labs, is out now within the App Retailer, although it is nonetheless “very a lot a piece in progress,” in accordance with Crowley. “I really feel just like the model of the product we’re sharing with of us at this time is sort of the place Foursquare was when it launched at SXSW in 2009 – an fascinating imaginative and prescient, a good-enough execution, however one thing that also must be formed by the folks utilizing it to totally blossom.”
