Meta Introduces Camera-Free AI Glasses
Confirming earlier reports, Meta announced its first pair of camera-free AI glasses β the awkwardly named Ray-Ban Meta Audio β at its Connect 2026 conference on Wednesday.
Designed to counter criticism over the more malicious use cases for AI glasses (which some have nicknamed "pervert glasses"), the new devices are audio-only. They offer music and podcast playback, call handling, speech translation, and communication with Meta's AI assistant, Muse.
The glasses are designed by Meta's AI hardware partner EssilorLuxottica and start at $349.
A Reputation Recovery Play
While Meta already offers a range of AI glasses in various styles, colors, and capabilities, the audio-only model could help the brand recover from reputational damage. Critics have pointed out how people β often men β were using AI glasses to record videos without subjects' consent.
Meta attempted to mitigate this issue with an update that disables the camera if the LED recording indicator is ever tampered with. However, the creepiness factor remained.
This latest device could prove more popular for that reason β while also providing an answer to something like Apple's Siri-powered AirPods.
Zuckerberg: Audio as a New Category
"Once you get used to high quality audio, it's just a thing that you want all the time, right?" Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during Wednesday's keynote. He added that after working on the idea, the company realized it could design an entirely new category of glasses around audio.
!Mark Zuckerberg with Ray-Ban glasses
Image Credits: Meta/Screenshot
Slimmer Design, Longer Battery
Because they don't have to house cameras, the glasses are slimmer than Meta's other models and weigh only 43 grams. They also feature adjustable temple tips, swappable nose pads, overextension hinges, and battery life of up to 12 hours on a single charge, Meta claims. With the included charging case, that extends to up to 48 hours.
They'll come in a variety of colors and options β 23 color and lens combinations in total β and in two new styles: a retro-inspired "Clubmaster" Ray-Ban style and "Burban"...
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via TechCrunch AI