Meta unveils AI-powered smart glasses and neural wristband at Connect

Meta Platforms unveiled a new range of AI-powered smart glasses and a neural wristband during its annual Meta Connect developer conference, underscoring the company’s conviction that wearable AI will become a daily accessory for people around the world. The Ray-Ban and Oakley-branded glasses, pitched as a cornerstone of Meta’s effort to weave its artificial intelligence tools into everyday life, include a full-color high-resolution display in one lens and a 12-megapixel camera, with video calls and messages viewable within the wearer’s field of view. A companion neural wristband pairs with the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses to enable users to carry out tasks such as sending messages through small hand gestures.

Zuckerberg framed the announcement as a major scientific breakthrough during a keynote at Meta’s Silicon Valley campus, where hundreds of developers and reporters watched the rollout. The company has long positioned its augmented-reality hardware as a platform to host Meta AI, aiming to make artificial intelligence an everyday helper rather than a distant technology.

Analysts noted that smart glasses could be more commercially viable than Meta’s broader Metaverse efforts, given their familiar form factor. “Unlike VR headsets, glasses are an everyday, non-cumbersome form factor,” said Forrester vice president and research director Mike Proulx, though he cautioned that Meta must persuade many non‑owners to see enough value to justify the price. The new Display model, officially a premium device, will start selling this month for $799 (£586). Meta did not disclose official sales figures for the new line, but analysts estimate the company has sold roughly two million pairs of its smart glasses since it first entered the market in 2023.

Industry observer Leo Gebbie of CCS Insight expressed skepticism about whether the new glasses will reach or exceed the traction of Meta’s prior models, noting that Ray-Ban glasses won fans with ease of use and affordability compared with earlier devices. “The Ray-Bans have done well because they’re easy to use, inconspicuous and relatively affordable,” Gebbie said, but added that success hinges on the new glasses balancing price with perceived utility.

Meta is spending heavily to expand its AI operations, funding a global expansion of data centers and talent as it pursues larger ambitions in artificial intelligence. Zuckerberg told employees and investors in July that the company planned to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on U.S. AI data centers, with at least one site projected to cover an area roughly the size of Manhattan. The push is complemented by aggressive hiring to attract top AI researchers away from rivals, and by ambitious aims to develop what Meta has described as “superintelligence,” AI capable of out-thinking humans in certain tasks.

The product rollout comes as critics and advocates press Meta over child-safety concerns linked to its products. On Wednesday, activists and relatives of suicide victims demonstrated outside Meta’s New York headquarters, calling for stronger safeguards for young users. The demonstrations overlapped with public testimony last week by two former Meta safety researchers before the U.S. Senate, who claimed internal staff were directed to downplay evidence of potential harm to children from Meta’s VR and related products. Meta has denied the allegations.

Meta’s new smart-glasses push is part of a wider strategy to anchor its AI across devices and services rather than rely solely on virtual worlds. Analysts say the glasses could become a key platform for delivering Meta AI features—from real-time transcription and video calling to camera-based scene understanding—while potentially expanding the company’s ecosystem of accessories and third-party apps. Still, success will depend on consumer adoption, price tolerance and the ability to demonstrate concrete benefits beyond novelty. If Meta can pair compelling AI features with a comfortable, discreet device and an accessible price, the company could make good on its stated vision of embedding an AI assistant into everyday life.