Forget Your Phone? AI Glasses Make That a 2024 Problem

Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke at Meta’s second-quarter earnings call, asserting that individuals who choose not to wear AI glasses in the future may face a substantial cognitive disadvantage compared to users of the technology. According to Zuckerberg, these AI-enabled devices, such as Meta’s own $299 Ray-Ban collaboration, are future necessities for human interaction and competition. That said, could this vision of ubiquitous AI glasses become a widespread reality?

Zuck Declares War on Naked Eyeballs Everywhere

Meta’s significant investment in artificial intelligence aligns with Zuckerberg’s statement. Moreover, this alignment is evidenced by the establishment of a highly funded “superintelligence” lab staffed with top researchers. For context, the AI intelligence company’s impressive second-quarter financial results, which notably surpassed analyst expectations, are also included in these remarks. Additionally, the Facebook co-founder’s history as an early and enthusiastic adopter of emerging technologies is well documented.

Specifically, Zuckerberg discussed glasses integrated with artificial intelligence, or any comparable interface for interacting with AI systems. Moreover, he suggested that non-adopters will likely be placed at a considerable competitive and cognitive disadvantage relative to peers and rivals who utilize AI glasses or similar technology. With this pronouncement, the Facebook co-founder frames smart glasses as convenient gadgets and potentially essential cognitive tools for future societal participation.

Meta’s $299 Solution to Your Inferiority Complex

While Zuckerberg compares future smart glasses to conventional prescription eyewear, he suggested that they’ll become the primary method for people to access and utilize artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the advanced “superintelligence” his company pursues is also included in these technologies. Meta aims to achieve this ambitious goal by actively funding a specialized “superintelligence” laboratory staffed by highly compensated researchers under the leadership of AI expert Alexandr Wang.

On top of that, the sales trajectory of Meta’s AI glasses was also encouraged by Zuckerberg. Specifically, their popularity as genuinely stylish eyewear is also a key driver of increasing user engagement. With this in mind, could the mainstream adoption of this wearable technology increase due to the combination of style and advanced functionality? Revenue generated by the Meta Ray-Bans reportedly surged, supporting this positive outlook.

In fact, data from EssilorLuxottica shows that this revenue more than tripled compared to the previous year. The Facebook co-founder additionally confirms that the underlying Meta AI powering the AI glasses is undergoing improvements, signaling the potential for substantial future hardware upgrades, such as integrating visual displays. Zuckerberg emphasizes that such multimodal capabilities will unlock considerable value. To achieve this goal, these technologies should enable seamless, all-day interaction with AI systems capable of various feats, including:

• the user’s surroundings
• generating interfaces
• delivering helpful information

AI Glasses Like ChatGPT for Your Face

AI glasses have facilitated this deep integration of technology and are also directly supporting Zuckerberg’s broader vision for blending digital and physical realities. Consequently, the CEO asserts that AI will significantly accelerate the realization of the metaverse concept, while identifying these glasses as the optimal platform for merging these worlds. Furthermore, Meta has expanded its wearable offerings to include the Oakley brand following the launch of Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2021, which targeted athletes.

As far as Zuckerberg’s statement is concerned, the financial success of these AI glasses further strengthens his argument. According to reports, Meta aims to release fully realized augmented reality glasses by 2027. As this strategic push into wearables coincides with strong financial results, Meta exceeded analyst predictions and outperformed its own prior-year second-quarter performance. Overall, these glasses gained a revenue of $47.5 billion alongside a significant 36% year-over-year increase in profit, reaching a total $18.3 billion.