Meta is widening its push into AI wearables with a new lineup of smart glasses — including an audio-only model that removes the camera entirely — as privacy fears mount worldwide over discreet recording devices and the non-consensual filming of women and girls.
Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg introduced the products at the social media company’s annual conference at its Menlo Park headquarters, using the stage to position a new personal AI assistant, Muse, as a cornerstone of Meta’s next chapter.
“There are almost 2 billion people in the world who wear glasses today… and we think that in the coming years, most of these are going to get upgraded to AI glasses,” Mr Zuckerberg told an audience of developers and executives.
Muse will be “the centrepiece of our vision,” Mr Zuckerberg said.
Meta said the audio-only glasses will go on sale on 13 October, with prices starting at $349 (€306).
The move comes as tiny cameras embedded in glasses and other wearables draw increasing scrutiny and criticism, with some opponents labelling them “pervert glasses” over the potential for covert surveillance and privacy violations.
The Meta Muse app became the top free app in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store
Smart glasses can let users take photos, record video, play music, place phone calls, translate text, or communicate with an AI assistant.
Meta’s camera-free version is intended to sit alongside the rollout of dozens of additional smart-glasses models that still include photo and video recording.
Adding safeguards such as a clear recording indicator light is “really important,” according to Meta vice president of AI product Vishal Shah.
He added: “We wanted people to clearly understand that this was something that was recording, and we’ve only made that light more explicit over time.
“We said a lot about that when the glasses first launched, and I think we probably need to keep repeating that more than we have been more recently because none of that’s changed.”
With nearly four billion monthly active users spread across its apps and services, Meta is betting that smart glasses and other wearables can serve as a low-friction gateway for everyday users to adopt its AI tools.
Meta entered the category in 2021, and last year showcased “display” glasses that can project images directly onto the lens.
Earlier this year, the company debuted Meta-branded AI glasses outside its partnership with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, the company behind several Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta models.
Alongside the new announcements, Meta also revealed additional styles for its flagship Meta Ray-Ban glasses.
The display model — starting at $799 (€702) — is set to expand into new markets soon, including the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Canada.
Meta said it is also preparing to release a mixed reality product designed to be far lighter than earlier Quest VR headsets.
Dubbed Meta VR Glasses, the device shifts its battery and memory into an external pack connected by a cord, reducing the weight of the headset itself.
Mr Zuckerberg said the glasses weigh about as much as a deck of cards.
Instead of buttons or dials, they will be operated through hand gestures and voice commands.
Meta plans to launch the VR Glasses in spring 2027 at a price of $1,299 (€1,141).
Meta Muse
Meta has poured billions of dollars into AI development to keep pace with rivals, even as it faces resistance on several fronts.
The new glasses are built to work with Muse, which Meta described as its first consumer-facing agentic app — software designed to act on a user’s behalf like a digital personal assistant.
Once users connect personal accounts for finance, health and shopping, Meta said they can ask Muse to handle tasks such as signing up for services, booking appointments and making calls.
The Muse app became the top free app in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, overtaking OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini.
Mr Zuckerberg also previewed another device, the Muse Charm, which Meta said will arrive before the end of this year, though it did not disclose a price.
The “charm” is described as a small, puck-like gadget with its own display, designed to let users interact with their Muse agent without relying on a smartphone.
Amazon has blocked Meta from using AI bots to shop automatically for users, while Instacart, Shopify and Expedia have announced partnerships to integrate their services into Muse.
Meta said US companies Walmart, Best Buy, Gap and Sephora are also partnering with the app.
Even as it expands in AI, Meta — which generates most of its revenue through advertising on Instagram and Facebook — is contending with intensifying child safety and privacy pressures worldwide.
In August, it settled a lawsuit brought by US states alleging violations of consumer protection and children’s online privacy laws, agreeing to pay up to $18 billion and accept restrictions for teenagers.
The company also faces age-based restrictions and bans outside the United States, along with thousands of potential personal injury suits in the US.
