Meta smart glasses have a new AI-training opt-out

Meta's smart glasses are now offering users the ability to opt out of having their visual data collected for AI training purposes. The adjustment comes as the company grapples with concerns over the handling of visual data. Previously, the glasses could gather visual data for training when users utilized AI features. Now, users can disable this feature in four steps: open the Meta AI app, tap the glasses settings, locate "Meta AI" under "Experiences," and turn off "Store visual data from AI experiences."

Meta clarified that this applies solely to camera-based AI requests, not photos stored in the user's camera roll. The company has long maintained that ordinary photos and videos taken with the glasses are not saved and are not used for AI training. However, visual data gathered during AI use is collected separately. The existing privacy policy, effective since June, states that Meta can share recordings, transcripts, and related data about voice conversations with Meta AI with vendors and service providers who assist in improving, troubleshooting, and training speech recognition systems.

Earlier this year, a Swedish news outlet revealed that human data annotators in Kenya could potentially access videos and images taken while using Meta AI features, including during intimate moments. Meta manufactures the glasses in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban's parent company. The brands sold over 7 million units last year.

At Meta Connect 2026, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that two new styles would feature camera-free, voice-only AI features. The smart glasses have raised privacy concerns, prompting Meta to deactivate the recording hardware for thousands of users who had tampered with the light indicators.