Ray-Ban/Meta AI glasses

 For context, in addition to working as a costume craftperson, I am also an author by which I mean, I have a degree in creative writing and have published stuff [1]. As you might imagine, that field is as concerned about generative AI text models as visual artists and designers are about AI Image models. 

So, I sometimes learn about new-to-me AI technology topics from fellow authors, and that’s the source of this post subject. And coincidentally, it also concerns a fashion accessory and accessibility tool: eyeglasses.

At a recent conference for librarians and authors, alarm was raised about a man wearing Meta‘s new Ray-Ban smart glasses having pushy conversations with conference attendees. The authors who spoke with him believe he was covertly recording them with the glasses, because of vibes. (I don’t know how you would confirm that, unless you heard him speak a trigger phrase like, “Meta start recording this.”)

Disclaimer: I did not attend this conference or talk to this man, I only read about the incident in a conference report by a colleague.

These are the glasses, which can have prescription lenses or clear ones that transition to tinted colors in sunlight:

Many states have two-party-consent recording laws, which makes covert recording illegal, but some people just break the law and face consequences later if they’re caught/charged.

Be advised that these glasses exist, & people are wearing and using them. I’m not suggesting everyone wearing a pair of Ray-Bans is wearing smart glasses, nor that everyone wearing smart glasses is nefariously recording people without their permission. 

What do you think about them? 

If you watch the video on that page highlighting potential helpful ways to use them, the live translation feature is promising, but it also seems to require that you’re talking to someone who understands English, but doesn’t speak it. 

Personally, they’re not for me. I do wear eyeglasses for accessibility – I’ve had poor eyesight for as long as I can remember and got my first pair of glasses when I was six years old. So, because I need them to see better, the style of my eyeglasses matters to my overall personal style, and these are not my taste. I do also find the AI functionality excessive and kind of creepy, but that takes a backseat to the fact I wouldn’t wear the dumb version of these frames either. 

[1] For example, this parasol book and this costume history book.