The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are the first AI-powered wearable that’s really caught on. They’re actually pretty good. They have that sleek Ray-Ban style, which means they don’t look as ridiculous as some of the bulkier, heavier attempts at mixed reality face computers. The built-in AI agent can answer questions and even identify what you’re looking at using the built-in cameras. People also love using voice commands to capture photos and videos of whatever’s in front of them without having to pull out their phone.
Meta smart glasses will soon incorporate more AI-powered voice features. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the latest updates to the smart glasses software at his company’s Meta Connect event.
“The reality is that most of the time you don’t use smart features, so people want to have something on their face that they’re proud of and that looks good and that’s, you know, designed in a really nice way,” Zuckerberg said at Connect. “They’re great glasses. We keep updating the software and developing the ecosystem and they just keep getting smarter and able to do more and more.”
The company also used Connect to announce its new Meta Quest 3S, a more affordable version of its mixed reality headset. It also showcased a number of other AI capabilities across its various platforms, with new features added to its Meta AI and Big Language Llama models.
Courtesy of Meta
Courtesy of Meta
When it comes to Ray-Bans, Meta isn’t doing too much to spoil a good thing. Smart glasses received an infusion of AI technology earlier this year, and now Meta is adding more capabilities to the stackAlthough the improvements here are fairly minimal. You can already ask Meta AI a question and hear its answers directly from the speakers built into the temples of the frames. There are now a few new things you can ask or command it to do.
Probably the most impressive thing is the ability to set reminders. You can look at something while wearing the glasses and say, “Hey, remind me to buy this book next week,” and the glasses will understand what book it is and set a reminder. Within a week, Meta AI will tell you it’s time to buy that book.
Courtesy of Meta
Courtesy of Meta
Meta says that live transcription services are coming to the glasses soon, meaning that people speaking in different languages will be able to see speech transcribed on the fly, or at least in a fairly timely manner. It’s not clear exactly how well that will work, given that the Meta glasses’ written translation capabilities have proven inaccurate.
Courtesy of Meta
Courtesy of Meta
New frame and lens colors are being added, and customers now have the option to add transition lenses that increase or decrease their shading based on the current level of sunlight.
Meta hasn’t said exactly when these additional AI features will arrive on its Ray-Bans, except that they’ll arrive sometime this year. With just three months left in 2024, that means they’ll be arriving very soon.