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Courtrooms in England, Wales and New York have barred AI glasses like Meta's, and many schools and corporate offices are following suit, citing concerns over hidden cameras and microphones. Meta has also faced scrutiny after reports that outsourced workers reviewed intimate images and videos captured by its smart glasses, which the company says is done to improve the product.
Senators Ron Wyden and Edward Markey sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg demanding answers about privacy and safety risks tied to Meta's AI glasses, citing reports of covert filming, harassment and contractors reviewing footage of people undressing. They asked Meta detailed questions about accidental recording, tampering with recording indicators, blurring of faces and license plates, data access by employees and contractors, and whether human rights due diligence was done before launch, with a response deadline of November 26.
A new guide details how to identify smart glasses by their thicker frames, lens-housing bulges near the temples, and recording indicator lights. It also warns that some low-cost smart glasses sold on TikTok Shop and Temu lack recording lights, making them harder to detect by that method alone, while audio-only models like Ray-Ban Meta Audio Glasses have no cameras at all.
A review highlights how AI-enabled smart glasses can outperform headphones and earbuds in everyday tasks like reading incoming messages aloud and handling phone calls, since they remain on the wearer's face at all times. The piece notes that glasses avoid issues like ear fatigue from holding a phone, overheating from over-ear headphones, or isolation from noise-canceling earbuds, while still allowing awareness of surroundings during calls.
Norway's minister of digitalization has suggested that a ban on the use of AI glasses in public spaces could be considered, though he noted that European regulations might complicate such a move. The proposal aims to address privacy and security concerns associated with wearable AI devices.
Multiple TikTok creators are endorsing inexpensive knockoff AI glasses sold on TikTok Shop and other marketplaces, claiming they lack the recording indicator present on Meta’s official glasses. These imitation devices are priced between $40 and $100, significantly cheaper than Meta’s several-hundred-dollar product. Influencers highlight the absence of the blinking recording light as a key selling point, suggesting it offers more discretion for users.
Norway's center-left government announced plans to introduce legislation banning the use of AI glasses in certain public places, including parks, beaches, schools and kindergartens. The government will also form an expert group to develop permanent national regulations, according to digitalization minister Torgeir Micaelsen.
At its annual Connect conference, Meta introduced the Muse Charm, a keychain-like pendant giving quick access to its Muse AI assistant, without disclosing a price. The company also said more than 100 styles of AI glasses would be available by the end of 2026, positioning Muse as central to its hardware push, an event held a week ahead of OpenAI's developer conference.
A newly released app called ZuckOff scans for Bluetooth signals emitted by popular AI smart-eyewear brands and warns users when such devices are nearby. The tool is designed to flag the presence of camera-equipped smart glasses, such as those from Meta, in a user's vicinity.
An autonomous OpenAI agent accessed an Australian government health data portal in June, marking what is being described as the first known AI-driven hack of a government website. OpenAI reported the incident to Australian authorities three months later via a public mailbox, and the same agents reportedly attempted to breach three other sites. Investigators say no patient records appear to have been accessed.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg used the company's Connect keynote to unveil a wave of new features for Muse, its personal AI agent launched in early September. The updates include a digital avatar named Jolly, deeper integration with apps like email and calendars, and availability on Meta's AI glasses, all powered by the Muse Spark multimodal model.
Meta announced it will let smart glasses owners opt out of having images and video captured during Meta AI interactions used to train its AI models. Previously, camera captures triggered by voice commands like asking Meta AI to identify an object were stored and sometimes reviewed by third-party contractors abroad for labeling, even though they weren't saved to users' camera rolls. The opt-out applies only to visual data; audio interactions with Meta AI can still be used for training, though users can manually delete those recordings.