Meta Revives Facial Recognition Plans for Next-Gen Smart Glasses, Raising Privacy Concerns

Meta Reportedly Eyeing 'Super Sensing' Tech for Smart Glasses

Meta is reportedly developing what it calls a "super sensing" type of facial recognition technology to its smart glasses lineup. A new report from The Information said Meta is developing software for the glasses that has the ability to recognize people by name and better keep track of what users are doing throughout the day. The company originally planned to include similar technology in its first wave of smart glasses but abandoned that effort due to privacy concerns. Now, however, the effort appears to be back on the table. Meta is reportedly working on two new pairs of smart glasses, internally known as Aperol and Bellini, and is also re-evaluating its privacy policies and potential safety risks associated with the technology, the report said. The report said the feature would be opt-in only. It's part of Meta's larger strategy to expand its smart glasses lineup and integrate AI more deeply into the products. It follows news that rivals like Google -- now developing its first smart glasses since Google Glass -- are boosting their push into the category. It's also said to be integrating this same "sensing" recognition capability into AI-powered earphones, which are said to include embedded cameras and sensors. A representative for Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meta's new AI glasses could have a 'super-sensing' mode with facial recognition

Umar Shakir is a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge. Meta is developing what's described as "super-sensing" vision software that can recognize people by name, according to The Information. The company is reportedly working on two pairs of smart glasses for next year, internally called Aperol and Bellini, and has recently reworked its processes for assessing privacy and safety risks to release products more quickly. In addition to facial recognition, Meta's AI software -- which is activated with a "Hey Meta, start live AI" command -- could eventually do things like remind you to grab your keys if it saw that you didn't, or remind you to pick up groceries as you walk home. The super-sensing feature keeps cameras and sensors always on so the AI can keep track of everything you do. Meta reportedly is already testing live AI on already released models. However, it cuts the battery down to just 30 minutes. Meta is aiming for its upcoming glasses, and possibly a set of earphones that have cameras, to run the software for hours on a single charge.

Meta forges ahead with facial recognition for its AI glasses

Privacy is out, surveillance tech is in. Credit: Craig T Fruchtman / Getty Images Meet Aperol and Bellini, the codenames Meta has given its new "super-sensing" AI glasses with facial recognition technology, according to The Information. Meta originally scrapped the facial recognition feature for the first generation of the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses over ethical concerns. However, the new report from The Information claims that a more business-friendly Federal Trade Commission under the new Trump Administration has emboldened Meta to reboot its plans for the next generation of smart glasses. It's the latest example of AI-powered tech creeping into your private life, whether you like it or not. Meta may have signalled this shift back in April, when the company updated its privacy policies for its AR glasses. Meta also sometimes uses facial recognition to verify users' identity. Now, The Information reports that facial recognition will be part of a live AI feature that will "always keep its cameras and sensors turned on and use AI to remember what its wearer encountered throughout a day." The feature will be opt-in (for the wearer, of course, not for anyone they interact with), but Meta is reportedly considering an indicator that would let people know the super-sensing feature is active. Currently, Meta's AI glasses have a light in the corner of the frame that signals when the glasses are taking a photo or video. The live AI feature is already available, but it only lasts for about 30 minutes because of battery constraints. The new initiative is exploring how to make this feature last for hours, while adding facial recognition into the mix. Meta's new focus is one of several instances of tech companies leveraging the AI boom to gather and process more granular data from its users. Recently, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said on the TBPN podcast that they're building a browser to gather more personalized data about users. OpenAI is reportedly exploring some kind of social network to better compete with Meta AI and xAI's Grok, which can train on data from user posts. And then there's the Sam Altman-backed nonprofit World, which recently unveiled a mobile human verification device that scans people's eyeballs to distinguish humans from AI. User data can be valuable to advertisers, but it can also be leveraged to improve AI models, since experts say companies are running out of training data (after "sucking the internet dry of usable information," as Nature put it recently). As companies compete to gather as much data as possible, a concerning trend is becoming clear: privacy is out and surveillance is in.

Meta's next smart glasses might have an always-on AI - I don't care how useful it is, I'm never turning it on

Existing glasses apparently have all the same sensors, but too small a battery for the feature to be worthwhile Meta's next smart glasses might always be watching with a new AI that can track everything you do. That's according to a leak from The Information (behind a paywall), which details two pairs of specs the company is working on, according to insiders. Internally codenamed Aperol and Bellini, the two pairs of specs would feature a new live AI. You start it with a command phrase, like "Hey Meta, start live AI," and the glasses would start recording your every move. This includes being able to recognize people with facial recognition, and to remind you of things like your house keys if the glasses saw you forgot them. The current Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses models are apparently already packed with the sensors they'd need to pull off this same feat of AI. Unfortunately, those familiar with Meta's tests with the existing glasses have said the feature cuts their battery life to only 30 minutes, which isn't ideal. Meta's current focus is reportedly to have its in-development glasses - and a pair of Meta earbuds that will supposedly also boast cameras and super sensing software - run for hours on a single charge with this feature switched on. In many ways, I can see the advantage of this always-live AI assistant. Anyone who has locked themselves out wishes they'd had a little software assistant reminding them to pick up their keys before they leave home. At the same time, it sounds like a privacy nightmare. People who point somewhat nervously at my Meta Ray-Ban glasses and ask, "Are those recording us right now?" always seem to relax when I show them they're switched off or explain they only record when instructed, like if I say, "Hey Meta, take a picture." Now, imagine I instead say, "Yeah, they've been recording you the whole time." I imagine I'd lose a few teeth. The Information's report also suggests Meta has reworked its privacy and safety policy to speed up innovation, which, in conjunction with the huge amounts of data this live AI will collect, isn't something that fills me with joy. Personally, this seems like the time to tighten your privacy policies to ensure sensitive data isn't shared in a way it shouldn't be. I expect this AI would come with some of Meta's existing safety features, such as the light on the glasses being on while you're recording, and it is at least a feature you have to manually activate, but (call me old fashioned) I can't imagine ever wanting a camera to record my every move. Others will probably feel similarly about these potential new always-on AI glasses. Just look at the backlash against Microsoft's always-on AI feature, Recall - and that was an app that just took computer screenshots. As with all rumors, we'll have to wait and see what Meta announces officially, but I'm hoping the final product isn't anything as scary as it sounds right now.

Years After Promising to Stop Facial Recognition Work, Meta Has a Devious New Plan

In 2021, Facebook said it was scrapping efforts to build powerful facial recognition software into its then-nascent smart glasses, citing the tech's glaring privacy and ethics concerns. Four years later, as The Information reports, the Silicon Valley behemoth has officially dusted off the effort and is once again working on transforming its wearable smart glasses into a facial recognition-infused privacy nightmare. Meta is working on a feature internally referred to as "super sensing." In super sensing mode, the glasses' built-in cameras and sensors will remain on and recording throughout the wearer's day. It's still probably a way's off due to battery life limitations, but in Meta's imagining, it'll one day be able to do things like remind someone to drop by the store and get dinner ingredients or nudge them to grab their keys. (Because, of course, every Silicon Valley CEO really just wants to build J.A.R.V.I.S. from the "Iron Man" franchise.) However, the super sensing feature would also combine AI with facial recognition, according to the Information -- a design choice that could have far-reaching and deeply alarming implications. Infusing facial recognition and AI into smart glasses could help you look up the LinkedIn heads you ran into at a networking event, or keep track of your roommates or family. Which -- while annoying and creepy -- are arguably a bit more mundane in the grand scheme of facial recognition applications. But the nightmare scenarios are endless. A wearer could dox strangers on the street; a creep in a bar could look up the name and personal information of a woman who may or may not have wanted to talk to him; undercover law enforcement officials could go to a peaceful protest and keep a careful record of attendees. It's not exactly hard to come up with ways this could go wrong, fast -- and yet Meta, it seems, has decided to push forward. According to the report, Meta's renewed facial recognition efforts are due in part to a more surveillance-friendly political climate where privacy concerns are increasingly taking a backseat in corporate and federal government decision-making. "The pendulum swings from one side to the other," Rob Leathern, a privacy expert and former product manager at Facebook and Google, told The Information. "We're kind of on that swing where some of the things that companies like Google talked about two, three, four years ago aren't necessarily being seen as quite as important."

Meta's next smart glasses may include an AI feature that's already raising eyebrows over privacy concerns

Meta has been dominating the smart glasses market with its Ray-Ban glasses. More than two million pairs have been sold since their launch back in 2023. Being the leader of smart glasses, Meta wants to hold onto its big lead with new features for its upcoming Meta Ray-Ban Glasses Gen 3, which should be revealed at Meta Connect 2025, happening in September. One rumored feature, however, is raising privacy concerns. Meta is reportedly working on adding facial recognition technology to its smart glasses and other devices, according to a report from The Information. There were no specifics provided in the report, but it did state that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other company execs have been considering this feature for some time. Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about adding facial recognition to its smart glasses. There have already been attempts to add facial recognition software to Meta's smart glasses. A report from 404 Media from October told of two Harvard students who went a step further than just using the tech to identify a person's name just by their face. The pair was able to have the software pull up the person's address, phone number, and family members. It's pretty evident why privacy is such a concern for smart glasses. Even though the wearables have a wealth of positive features, from being able to provide live translation of conversations to even adding a screen only the wearer can see to provide a mixed reality experience like expected in the Meta Orion, there is a lot of data that these glasses can obtain without anyone else realizing it. The Meta Ray-Ban glasses' indiscriminate look makes it easy for someone to be recorded. All that's needed is to take that data and use it for nefarious reasons. At the end of April, Meta updated its privacy policy for the smart glasses, which removed the option to disable storage of voice command data when using Meta AI. This means asking the AI to do a task, such as recognizing an object the wearer is looking at, would then have that query saved to Meta's cloud servers for AI-training purposes. So the user has no choice about whether their requests will be sent to Meta or not. This, however, does appear to be the kind of wearables future that Zuckerberg is hopeful for. During a Meta earnings call at the beginning of May, Zuckerberg said he views the glasses to be the "ideal form factor" for AI. "They enable you to let an AI see what you see, hear what you hear, and talk to you throughout the day. And they let you blend the physical and digital worlds together with holograms," he said.

Meta Considered Bringing Facial Recognition to Smart Glasses: Report

The facial recognition feature would be opt-in for owners of the glasses Meta recently discussed the addition of a new feature that would allow owners of its smart glasses to identify people near them by scanning their faces, according to a report. The feature is said to be opt-in for users, but those around them would not have a choice. The current Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses flash an LED light when the built-in camera is in use, but it's unclear whether the glasses would provide any indication when facial recognition is in use. The Information reports (via Engadget) that Meta previously considered the addition of facial recognition technology to its smart glasses. The feature is said to be based on the Live AI functionality offered by the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, and it is internally referred to as "super sensing", according to the publication. If Meta were to develop such a feature, it would enable users wearing a pair of its smart glasses to scan the faces of people around them. As per the report, users who are in the vicinity of a person who owns a pair of Meta AI glasses could be identified by name. While the feature is said to be opt-in for those wearing a pair of Meta's smart glasses, it would be impossible for anyone near them to opt out of having their faces scanned and identified by the company. The report also suggests that Meta considered disabling its camera usage indicator on the glasses when the facial recognition feature is in use. The camera indicator was added by the company so that people in the vicinity were informed when the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses were used to capture photos or video. However, the LED might not be activated when the facial recognition feature is working, according to the report. Last year, two Harvard University students developed a technology stack called I-XRAY that was capable of using Meta's smart glasses along with large language models (LLMs), facial recognition searches and public databases to identify their classmates names and where they lived. In their video demonstrating how I-XRAY was capable of identifying people in real-time, the students revealed how easy it was to use facial recognition while using a pair of smart glasses. While I-XRAY was never released, Meta's decision to build the feature into the glasses could put such a tool in the hands of everyone who owns a pair of its smart glasses.

Meta is Developing AI Smart Glasses That Never Stop Watching

This new feature will help with facial recognition and reminders for activity and surrounding based reminders. The future of wearable technology is likely going to be smart glasses, according to Meta. The company is already developing the next generation of Meta glasses with a "super sensing" vision software. These glasses will be able to recognize faces to help you with your friend's name if you can't recall, or grab keys if you forget to do so when leaving your home. According to The Information, Meta is working on two new pairs of smart glasses, internally referred to as Aperol and Bellini. These new Meta glasses will sport a "super sensing" vision software, which will keep the cameras and other sensors always active to perform advanced tasks like face recognition and reminders based on your current activity. So if you are on your way home, Meta glasses could remind you to pick up your shirt from the laundry. To make the feature work, Meta have reassessed their privacy policy's allowing them to boost AI training to create more groundwork for the super-sensing vision technology. They are also working on a pair of earphones with cameras. Meta is currently testing their live AI model on the currently available glasses; however, turning this feature on reduces the battery life to 30 minutes. As of now, we don't have a clear timeline for when we can expect these glasses to come out. A likely release window could be sometime later this year or early 2026. What are your thoughts about these upcoming Meta glasses? Would you buy something that always watches your activities? Let us know in the comments below.