Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes that smart glasses powered by AI will soon become a part of our daily lives, even replacing smartphones and laptops.
During Meta’s second-quarter earnings call (via TechCrunch), he said people who don’t have AI glasses in the future may face a “significant cognitive disadvantage.” According to him, these glasses will not only help people with tasks but also become like a personal superintelligence.
Zuckerberg explained that smart glasses will give people real-time help. These glasses will recognize objects, translate languages, answer questions, and even talk to you. He said, “I continue to think that glasses are basically going to be the ideal form factor for AI, because you can let an AI see what you see throughout the day, hear what you hear, talk to you.”
He added that smart glasses with displays will be even more useful. Whether it’s a small screen in everyday glasses like Ray-Ban Metas or a wider holographic display in the upcoming Meta Orion AR glasses, he believes it will help users interact with the digital world in a better way.
“I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI or some way to interact with AI. I think you’re probably going to be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people,” he said.
For years, Meta has been investing in smart glasses through its Reality Labs division. Reality Labs has been working on smart glasses for five to ten years. Even though the division has seen big financial losses — $4.53 billion this year and $4.88 billion last year — Meta is still focused on this vision.
Zuckerberg told investors, “I think we’re just several years ahead on building out glasses. And I think that’s something we’re excited to keep on investing in heavily because I think it’s going to be a really important part of the future.”
Smart glasses from Meta, such as the Ray-Ban Meta and the new Oakley Meta, can already do many things. They can take pictures, play music, browse the web, and answer questions with the help of Meta AI. The glasses can even respond to what you are looking at, making them more interactive.
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have already seen success in the market. According to the parent company EssilorLuxottica, sales of the glasses have more than tripled compared to last year. This shows that people are interested in using AI through glasses. Tech expert Kate Kozuch tested the new Oakley Meta glasses and called them “epic,” though she said they were less stylish than the Ray-Ban versions.
However, some experts are concerned about the effects of using AI too often. Research from MIT and Microsoft suggests that heavy use of AI could reduce creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. While Zuckerberg’s claim about cognitive disadvantage is more of a message to investors, it raises questions about how much we should rely on AI.
Zuckerberg believes that AI glasses make the most sense. People are already used to wearing glasses, and they are more acceptable in public than other types of tech. He said, “The other thing that’s awesome about glasses is they are going to be the ideal way to blend the physical and digital worlds together.”
He also said this vision fits into Meta’s long-term plan for the Metaverse. “So the whole Metaverse vision, I think, is going to end up being extremely important, too, and AI is going to accelerate that.”
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