Meta has introduced a new range of AI-powered wearable devices, including a camera-free version of its smart glasses, as concerns continue to grow over privacy and the unauthorised recording of people.
Key Highlights
- Meta unveiled camera-free audio-only AI glasses alongside its new AI assistant, Muse, at its Connect conference.
- The audio-only glasses go on sale October 13, starting at $349, and drop the camera found on earlier models.
- Zuckerberg predicts most of the nearly 2 billion people who wear glasses will eventually upgrade to AI glasses.
- Meta VP Vishal Shah said the recording indicator light on camera-equipped models remains central to privacy safeguards.
- Meta will keep selling camera-equipped smart glasses alongside the new audio-only models.
- Display-enabled glasses, starting at $799, are expanding to the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Canada.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the new products on Wednesday during the company’s annual Connect conference at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California. He also highlighted Muse, Meta’s new personal artificial intelligence assistant.
Zuckerberg said the company expects AI-powered glasses to become increasingly common among people who already wear conventional spectacles.
“There are almost 2 billion people in the world who wear glasses today… and we think that in the coming years, most of these are going to get upgraded to AI glasses,” he said.
He described Muse as “the centerpiece of our vision” for the company’s AI ambitions.
Meta’s new audio-only glasses are scheduled to go on sale on October 13, with prices starting at $349.
Unlike Meta’s camera-equipped smart glasses, the new version does not have a camera for taking photographs or recording videos. It is designed to retain features such as listening to music, making calls and interacting with Meta’s AI assistant.
Privacy Concerns Persist Over Wearable Cameras
The launch comes amid growing global concerns over the privacy implications of wearable devices equipped with discreet cameras. Critics have raised concerns about the potential for people to be recorded without their knowledge or consent, including women and girls.
Meta will continue to offer smart glasses equipped with cameras alongside the new audio-only models.
Meta Vice President of AI Product, Vishal Shah, said privacy safeguards remain an important part of the company’s approach to smart glasses.
He pointed to the recording indicator light built into the camera-equipped models, saying it was designed to make it clear when the glasses are being used to record.
“We wanted people to clearly understand that this was something that was recording, and we’ve only made that light more explicit over time,” Shah said.
He acknowledged that Meta would need to continue reminding users about the privacy feature as concerns surrounding smart glasses persist.
“We said a lot about that when the glasses first launched, and I think we probably need to keep repeating that more than we have been more recently because none of that’s changed,” he added.
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Wearables Central To Meta’s AI Strategy
Meta is increasingly positioning wearable devices as a major channel through which users can interact with its artificial intelligence technology.
The company, which has nearly four billion monthly active users across its platforms, launched its first smart glasses in 2021. It later introduced glasses capable of displaying information directly through the lenses.
Meta has also expanded its smart-glasses portfolio through products developed with eyewear manufacturer EssilorLuxottica, including Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta models.
The company announced additional styles of its flagship Meta Ray-Ban glasses as part of the latest product expansion.
Its display-enabled glasses, which start at $799, are also set to expand into markets including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and Canada.
The latest launch underscores Meta’s push to make AI-powered wearables a more prominent part of its product ecosystem while responding to concerns over privacy and the use of cameras in everyday devices. Follow us on X for more technology updates.
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