Meta is testing a new prototype of AI-powered smart glasses capable of continuously capturing what users see and hear, signalling the company’s most ambitious move yet toward always-on wearable computing.
According to reports, the “super sensing” glasses would periodically capture images and ambient audio throughout the day, allowing users to later ask AI questions about conversations, places they visited or objects they encountered. Rather than simply responding to prompts, the glasses are being designed to function as a constant digital memory, helping users recall details from their daily lives.
The prototype has also sparked internal debate over privacy. Unlike Meta’s current Ray-Ban smart glasses, which illuminate an LED while recording photos or videos, executives have reportedly discussed disabling that indicator when the always-on AI features are active. If implemented, bystanders may not know when visual or audio information is being collected.
Meta is also exploring whether the glasses would upload metadata instead of storing raw recordings, a design the company believes could reduce privacy risks. Discussions are also underway on whether information collected through the devices could be used to train Meta’s AI models, although the company has not confirmed those plans.
The project reflects CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s long-term vision of AI glasses replacing smartphones as the primary interface for digital assistants, translation tools and everyday computing. Following the commercial success of its Ray-Ban smart glasses, Meta has increasingly shifted its hardware strategy towards wearable AI.
However, privacy experts warn that always-on recording devices could challenge existing laws governing consent, biometric information and audio surveillance. Several US states already require the consent of all parties before conversations can be recorded, raising questions about how such technology would operate in public spaces.
As AI moves beyond screens and into devices worn throughout the day, Meta’s latest prototype is likely to intensify the debate over where convenience ends and continuous surveillance begins.
Source: Financial Times
