While tech giants try to convince consumers that smart glasses will become the next ubiquitous electronic device after smartphones, the social consequences of their use have prompted protests. Critics argue that without strict restrictions, users of the glasses should not be able to covertly film others.
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version financial times There are examples of young people deliberately filming women in embarrassing or compromising situations in public places and then posting the videos on social networks without their consent. Lead actresses in such films insist that the practice violates their personal boundaries and should be banned.
American company Meta, which owns a popular social network✴ Platforms that actively promote such devices are trying to combat abuse by blocking accounts containing videos containing controversial content. In some jurisdictions, the use of smart glasses is already prohibited by law. In the UK, for example, some entertainment venues and courts are subject to restrictions.
The matter isn’t limited to smart glasses: there are reports that Apple is not only planning to launch similar devices, but also wireless headphones equipped with cameras, as well as a pendant worn around the neck with a built-in camera. Experts say increasing the amount of information flowing into artificial intelligence systems through such devices will improve their work, but the process will inevitably come with privacy concerns.
This sentiment has not yet particularly hindered the spread of smart glasses. Counterpoint Research predicts that consumers will spend more than $1 trillion on smart wearable devices between 2026 and 2032. These include not only glasses, but also various earphones, pendants and brooches. Direct smart glasses will generate $44 billion in revenue for sellers during this period. According to the introduction of Meta Vice President✴ Alex Himel, The appeal of smart glasses is that they can be used at any time without having to reach into a pocket or bag. With smart glasses, the AI model will actually have eyes and ears, according to company representatives.
Critics of the trend worry that smart glasses could be used for mass surveillance of people, allowing system operators to instantly identify faces virtually anywhere in the world. Experts explain that tech giants promote new technologies faster than society can adapt to them, although this adaptation will happen sooner or later. Some privacy activists have even called smart glasses “perverted devices.” However, they do not necessarily call for the complete abandonment of artificial intelligence, but instead insist on the need for responsible use of such technology.
Since 2021, more than 10 million pairs of smart glasses with built-in cameras have been sold, including about 7 million pairs last year. EssilorLuxottica partners with Meta✴ In this area, sales of such devices doubled last quarter. With the encouragement of Meta, well-known bloggers are also promoting such products✴. EssilorLuxottica is working to develop standards for the safe use of smart glasses and wants people to use them responsibly.
Image credit: Damir Semirkhanov on Unsplash
According to Omdia, Meta is now✴ Controlling 85% of the smart glasses market, its sales have continued to grow even as the smartphone market has slumped due to sharp increases in memory chip prices. Experts estimate that the market capacity for such devices is 15 million units this year and that this number will triple to 45 million units by 2030. Take Yuan as an example✴ It was the collaboration with fashion accessories manufacturer EssilorLuxottica that made it a commercial success, as the corresponding devices received an attractive design. Ten years ago, Google tried to open up this market segment with its Glass project, but it failed due to the state of the art at the time. Meta-solutions are growing in popularity✴ The rapid development of artificial intelligence systems has also contributed to this. Although Meta Engineer✴ In an attempt to pack smart glasses with a ton of technology, EssilorLuxottica representatives insisted they should remain fairly light.
This example inspired competitors to engage in similar collaborations. Google and Samsung will team up with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to launch smart glasses this year. Not every frame is suitable for a specific person, and the need to unify the range of smart glasses still limits the diversity of designs. According to reports, Apple will not allow its smart devices to use built-in cameras to take photos and record videos, but only intends to use them to analyze the surrounding environment. It’s thought that voice commands can be given in a whispered voice because Apple’s smart glasses must learn to literally “read lips” by analyzing the micro-movements of the user’s facial muscles. This would partially solve the problem of controlling smart glasses in crowded places, where there’s a lot of extraneous noise and you don’t always want to speak commands out loud.
Chinese startup Even Realities, which is developing smart glasses with tiny built-in displays, reports an interesting use case. Software developers issue commands to the AI agent via voice, and the system’s responses are read from the glasses’ display. At least it doesn’t tie them to a desk, allowing them to have their hands free. Experts believe that practical, lightweight smart glasses with built-in displays are still two to three years away, but such devices could become an important hardware platform and significantly change the market.
According to Meta representatives✴The best AI assistant is not necessarily the smartest – what matters is how well it knows and understands a specific user. In this sense, smart wearable devices open new channels for obtaining information that can be used to improve artificial intelligence systems. According to available data, the company itself is developing glasses that will almost continuously collect visual and audio information about the user’s surroundings in order to alert him, if necessary, of events that have occurred. This feature may appear on existing models after a software update. In this case, the recording indicator on the glasses will not indicate continuous data collection.
try meta✴ Developing a facial recognition system for smart glasses has yet to lead to a commercial release of the corresponding software, as the idea has been criticized by the public. The company insists that such a feature could be useful for blind people. recent metadata✴ Introduced a feature that can completely block recording if it is discovered that the user is trying to record secretly by covering the LED indicator light.
Nothing founder Carl Pei generally believes that smart glasses are often returned to stores, and they do not yet have a dedicated user base. In his opinion, this situation will not change in the short term. There’s nothing in itself to give up on the development of smart glasses. Pei said that the market will only start to change once voice AI assistants reach a new level of functionality.
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