Meta to unveil camera-free smart glasses amid privacy concerns

Meta Platforms is set to display new smart glasses at its annual Connect conference, including a version without cameras, amid rising privacy concerns surrounding AI devices that can covertly record individuals without permission. The company, a pioneer in integrating AI devices into consumer products, has sold over 7 million smart glasses since co-developing them with EssilorLuxottica last year, giving Meta a dominant position in a market primarily challenged by Chinese firms like RayNeo and Xiaomi.

However, the rising popularity of these devices has sparked global worries about their covert recording capabilities, leading to restrictions in places such as UK restaurants, pubs, and theaters. Legal actions have also been filed, with a California class action suit alleging Meta misled users about privacy protections and that human annotators reviewing the AI's training data viewed and labeled footage containing private moments like individuals changing clothes.

Meta is expected to release the cameraless smart glasses in two designs, the Clubmaster and Burbank, according to the Information. Analysts anticipate the company will also launch a revamped version of its camera-equipped Meta Ray-Ban glasses and thinner, lighter augmented reality glasses, dubbed the Phoenix. Despite the camera removal, concerns persist that AI devices can still record audio, potentially impacting demand.

Market research expert Linda Sui notes that the loss of a camera may not fully assuage privacy worries, as microphones and audio collection could still raise similar issues, even if to a lesser degree. Furthermore, the absence of a camera and a heads-up display could make it harder for the product to stand out from competitors, such as Bluetooth earbuds, which offer primarily voice interaction, microphones, and speakers.