Meta launches smart glasses with built-in display, reaching for ‘superintelligence’
While Meta has been at the forefront of developing smart glasses, it trails rivals such as OpenAI in rolling out advanced AI models
Meta Platforms on Wednesday launched its first consumer-ready smart glasses with a built-in display, seeking to extend the momentum of its Ray-Ban line, one of the early consumer hits of the artificial intelligence era.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg showed off what he called the Meta Ray-Ban Display, although some demos of the new technology did not go as planned, with a call to the glasses failing to go through, for instance.
“I don’t know what to tell you guys,” Zuckerberg said. “I keep on messing this up.” The crowd applauded.
Meta has tasted success with its smart glasses, and Zuckerberg described them as the perfect way to expand towards the “superintelligence” promised by artificial intelligence, a concept where AI surpasses human intelligence in every possible way.
“Glasses are the ideal form factor for personal superintelligence, because they let you stay present in the moment while getting access to all of these AI capabilities that make you smarter, help you communicate better, improve your memory, improve your senses, and more,” Zuckerberg said. The new Display glasses have a small digital display in the right lens for basic tasks such as notifications. They will start at US$799 and be available on September 30 in stores.
The launch at Meta’s annual Connect conference for developers, held at its Menlo Park, California, headquarters, is its latest attempt to catch up in the high-stakes AI race.