Xiaomi and Baidu Enter AI Smart Glasses Market, Challenging Meta's Dominance

Xiaomi Is Reportedly Working on a Pair of AI Glasses to Compete With Meta

Xiaomi's first AI glasses expected to feature a camera and speakers Xiaomi is working on a pair of smart glasses that offer support for features backed by artificial intelligence (AI) in collaboration with Apple supplier Goertek, according to a report. Other firms like Meta, Snap, and Baidu have either launched or unveiled glasses equipped with cameras, and Xiaomi's purported wearable is also expected to offer similar functionality. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun reportedly expects the company to ship over 300,000 units of the product, which could be launched next year. According to an IT Home report (in Chinese), Xiaomi is developing a pair of AI glasses in partnership with Goertek. This device has reportedly been designed to offer AI features. It is said to have been in development for a few months, and the company could unveil it in China in Q2 2025, as a Xiaomi-branded wearable. The purported AI glasses from Xiaomi will reportedly offer features found on similar devices, such as the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses (Review), which were recently updated with support for AI functionality. Xiaomi plans to equip the AI glasses with camera and audio modules, as per the report. The publication claims that Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun expects the company to ship "above 300,000 units" of the AI glasses. It is currently unclear whether the device will be launched in markets outside China, including India. Xiaomi's AI glasses are expected to compete with the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, which are yet to make their debut in India. Earlier this week, Baidu unveiled the Xiaodu AI Glasses its first smart glasses equipped with a 16-megapixel camera and a four-microphone array. The Chinese search giant's wearable is designed to work with its native large language models (LLMs), and it can answer a user's queries in real time, according to the company. While Meta already sells a pair of smart glasses, the company recently showed off a prototype called Meta Orion, that is capable of displaying information on the glasses, providing a form of heads up display to a user. However, these AR glasses are unlikely to be launched until 2027, the company revealed while announcing the device.

Xiaomi Teams Up with Goertek for AI-Powered Glasses to Rival Meta's Ray-Ban Collaboration

Set for a 2025 launch, these glasses are expected to feature advanced camera and audio modules. Xiaomi is gearing up to enter the smart glasses market with a new AI-powered wearable developed in collaboration with Goertek, an Apple supplier. According to recent reports, the Chinese tech giant plans to unveil the device in Q2 2025, potentially competing with established smart glasses like Meta's Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and other devices already on the market. Xiaomi's upcoming AI glasses will reportedly feature functionality similar to that of other smart glasses, such as the ability to capture video and audio. The device is expected to include a camera and an audio module, providing users with the same hands-free capabilities seen in other smart glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. While details remain scarce, the glasses are anticipated to use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance features such as voice interaction and real-time data processing. This would give users a seamless experience when engaging with the wearable for communication, media, and productivity. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has high expectations for the product, reportedly aiming to ship over 300,000 units once the glasses launch. This ambitious target signals the company's confidence in the device's market appeal. However, it is still unclear whether Xiaomi will make the glasses available outside of China, including in key markets such as India. The smart glasses landscape has been rapidly evolving, with companies like Meta, Snap, and Baidu already showcasing their own AI-enhanced wearables. Baidu recently introduced the Xiaodu AI Glasses, which come equipped with a 16-megapixel camera and a four-microphone array. Baidu's glasses are designed to interact with its large language models, answering queries in real time. Meanwhile, Meta continues to innovate in the smart glasses space, with its Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses offering AI functionality. The company is also working on the Meta Orion, a pair of capable of displaying heads-up information, though these are not expected to launch until 2027. Xiaomi's entry into the market will further intensify competition in the growing wearable tech sector, especially as more companies integrate AI into their devices. With its strong brand presence in China and a growing global reach, Xiaomi's smart glasses could provide a new, affordable alternative to Meta's premium offerings. If successful, Xiaomi's AI glasses could have a significant impact on the next wave of wearable technology.

Baidu Launches AI Smart Glasses to Compete with Meta's Ray-Bans

Baidu's AI smart glasses are part of a broader push by global tech firms to leverage artificial intelligence in consumer-focused hardware Baidu Inc, China's leading AI innovator, is set to reveal its latest hardware breakthrough: AI-powered smart glasses, aiming to challenge the popularity of Meta's Ray-Bans. This new wearable technology, developed by Baidu's hardware division Xiaodu, is expected to be unveiled at the Baidu World event in Shanghai next week, according to an inside source. Equipped with cameras for photo and video capture and powered by Baidu's Ernie foundation model, these glasses are designed to engage users with voice interactions and a suite of Baidu services. Baidu's AI smart glasses are part of a broader push by global tech firms to leverage artificial intelligence in consumer-focused hardware. Meta Platforms' smart glasses, created with Ray-Ban manufacturer EssilorLuxottica, are among the few successes in the market and Baidu is stepping in with its own model in hopes of replicating that success in China and beyond. Meta's product has grown in features and functionality and its demand has consistently outpaced supply -- a clear signal of a growing interest in AI-embedded wearable tech. These AI glasses by Baidu are anticipated to integrate with Baidu Maps and Baike, Baidu's online encyclopedia, providing users with connected experiences across Baidu's ecosystem. Expected to be competitively priced at less than Meta's $299 Ray-Bans, they are projected for a commercial release as early as 2025. Xiaodu, Baidu's hardware arm, has made significant strides in the AI industry since it raised funding in 2020 with investors like IDG Capital, valuing the division at $2.9 billion. Key products include smart speakers and wireless earbuds, which enhance Baidu's offerings by connecting users to its diverse ecosystem of services. The AI-powered glasses are part of Baidu's strategy to capitalize on its decade-long AI development efforts. In China, have already gained popularity, with several companies producing AI-enabled glasses with functionalities like real-time translation and pathfinding. However, Baidu's new glasses aim to stand out with their advanced AI capabilities and direct integration with its ecosystem, allowing users to experience a seamless blend of convenience and innovation.

Baidu Readies AI Smart Glasses to Rival Meta's Ray-Bans

Baidu Inc. is set to unveil a pair of glasses with a built-in AI assistant, putting up a Chinese rival to the Meta Ray-Bans that have proven a rare success in AI-powered hardware. China's search leader and longtime investor in Artificial Intelligence (AI) plans to showcase the product at its annual Baidu World event in Shanghai next week, according to a person familiar with its schedule. The gadget will have built-in cameras to capture photos and video and will support voice interactions built atop Baidu's Ernie foundation model, the person said, asking not to be named as the glasses are not yet public. The push to monetise AI has found expression in a series of hardware introductions this year, from the Humane Ai Pin flop to Microsoft Corp.'s better-received Copilot+ PC range. The Meta Platforms Inc. smart glasses, designed in collaboration with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica SA, are an older product that's grown in features, capabilities and popularity this year. Meta said demand had outpaced its ability to supply new units and EssilorLuxottica has singled them out as a product driving new sales. Beijing-based Baidu is likewise working to capitalise on more than a decade of AI development, and its smart glasses will connect to a suite of products such as Baidu Maps and its online encyclopedia, Baike. Sales of the product, which will likely cost less than Meta's $299 (roughly Rs. 25,230), could start as soon as early 2025, the person said. A Baidu spokesperson did not respond to an emailed enquiry. The AI glasses have been developed by Baidu's hardware division, Xiaodu, which in 2020 raised funding from investors including IDG Capital at a value of $2.9 billion (roughly Rs. 24,468 crore). Its key products include voice-activated speakers and wireless earbuds that also connect with Baidu's content ecosystem. Despite a head start in China's ChatGPT-inspired AI frenzy, Baidu has struggled to hang on to leadership. TikTok owner ByteDance's Doubao has in recent months taken over as China's most popular AI chatbot, nudging Ernie Bot down in the rankings. Baidu executives have also warned that displaying AI-generated results in the company's core search business will be a short-term negative to advertising revenue. A slew of Chinese upstart hardware makers have introduced AI glasses with cameras and open-ear audio already, while others have focused on narrower functionality like translation and pathfinding. Across the Pacific, Apple Inc. is exploring a push into the category with an internal study of products currently available on the market, Bloomberg News has reported. © 2024 Bloomberg LP

Baidu Unveils Xiaodu AI Glasses in China That Resemble Meta Ray-Bans

The smart glasses reportedly feature a four-microphone array Baidu unveiled its Xiaodu AI Glasses in China on Tuesday. The Chinese tech giant introduced the AI-integrated smart glasses in China and it is reportedly equipped with an AI assistant that can perform several tasks for users. The Xiaodu AI Glasses are said to weigh 45g and feature a 16-megapixel ultrawide camera along with a four-microphone array. Baidu has used its native large language models (LLMs) for the wearable device, and pricing for the Xiaodu AI glasses is yet to be announced. At the 2024 Baidu World Conference, the tech giant unveiled the Xiaodu AI glasses (via Gizmochina) which are equipped with a Chinese language model developed by the company. Baidu is looking to tap into the rising popularity of AI-powered wearable devices and wants to compete with the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses with its offering. The Xiaodu AI Glasses weigh 45g. They are equipped with a 16-megapixel ultrawide camera and a four-microphone array. The native AI assistant uses the camera and the microphone to receive information in visual and audio modalities, according to the company. According to Baidu, the AI assistant can answer queries in real time -- a feature the company calls "walk-and-ask queries". The glasses can also be used for calorie recognition, object identification, audio-visual translation, and intelligent reminders. Coming to the battery, Baidu's AI Glasses offer up to five hours of calling and playback time and 56 hours of standby time. They are said to take about 30 minutes to charge fully. The Xiaodu AI Glasses run on the company's DuerOS AI operating system, and the same OS will also offer support for other Baidu platforms such as Baidu Maps, and Baike. The end goal appears to be creating a device that can be further enhanced with the integration of the Baidu ecosystem.

Baidu announces its own pair of AI smart glasses

The glasses are expected to start shipping next year, according to the Financial Times. Baidu, which is often called China's answer to Google, has launched its own pair of AI-powered smart glasses at its annual World Conference event in Shanghai. The device will run on the company's ERNIE generative AI technology and was designed to "become a private assistant," according to the Financial Times. Users will reportedly be able to interact with the device using their voice and ask it questions about what it sees in their current environment. They can also tell it to play music and even track their calories consumption. And since the glasses are equipped with cameras, they can ask it to snap photos or take videos. When the glasses start shipping sometime next year, they could become the Chinese consumers' alternative to Meta's and Snap's devices. Meta teamed up with Ray Ban a few years ago to release a pair of smart sunglasses that can livestream and send photos hands-free. Its latest model comes built-in with Meta's generative AI assistant that users can talk to. However, the company's device isn't officially sold in China, because its servers are blocked in the country. Baidu has yet to announce how much its glasses would cost, but Meta is selling its device for $299. The Baidu World Conference had a huge focus on the company's AI efforts, as it takes steps to make sure ERNIE can keep up with its competitors' technologies. It also launched a new AI image generator called iRAG that apparently experiences fewer hallucinations than its predecessor, along with a tool that enables people to create software programs even if they don't have coding expertise. According to The Times, ByteDance's Doubao is now the leading AI chatbot in China based on monthly active users as observed by Sensor Tower. ByteDance is also growing its hardware offerings and recently launched a pair of earbuds with access to its AI assistant Doubao.

Baidu Readies AI Smart Glasses to Rival Meta's Ray-Bans

Baidu Inc. is set to unveil a pair of glasses with a built-in AI assistant, putting up a Chinese rival to the Meta Ray-Bans that have proven a rare success in AI-powered hardware. China's search leader and longtime investor in artificial intelligence plans to showcase the product at its annual Baidu World event in Shanghai next week, according to a person familiar with its schedule. The gadget will have built-in cameras to capture photos and video and will support voice interactions built atop Baidu's Ernie foundation model, the person said, asking not to be named as the glasses are not yet public.

China's Baidu joins Meta in race to make AI-integrated smart glasses

Baidu has unveiled artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses as Chinese tech groups race with global rivals to capitalise on AI-integrated hardware. Li Ying, head of Baidu's hardware brand Xiaodu, said its smart glasses would "become a private assistant" during a Baidu event in Shanghai on Tuesday. The glasses are run on Baidu's large language model Ernie and will enable wearers to track calorie consumption, ask questions about their environment, play music and shoot videos, said the company. While China is lagging behind the US in developing the most powerful large language models, experts have said Chinese tech groups could leverage the country's sophisticated electronics sector to develop competitive consumer hardware integrated with AI. Baidu's glasses will initially only be sold in China. The company's entry into smart glasses comes as US tech groups Meta and Snap are rushing to dominate the market outside China. Meta has teamed up with Ray-Ban on a series of smart glasses, with a pair selling for as much as $379. They are not available for sale in China. The launch of Baidu's smart glasses, which are expected to go on sale next year, signals the start of a battle among the country's major internet groups to become the leading provider of AI-integrated hardware. Previously, smart glasses had been largely undertaken by start-ups. Xiaodu has embedded Ernie Bot into existing products including a virtual dashboard for families to help monitor elderly relatives, who can talk to AI doctors and receive reminders to take medication through a device. Last month, TikTok owner ByteDance launched its first pair of earbuds, which allow users to talk directly to the company's Doubao chatbot without using their smartphone. "The magic that Chinese technology companies have consistently displayed is coming up with compelling consumer products at competitive price points," said Paul Triolo, partner and global tech policy lead at consultancy Albright Stonebridge Group. "This will give them an edge over foreign companies in integrating AI into useful applications at scale." Baidu, which operates China's dominant search engine, was leading the race to develop the country's version of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Ernie Bot -- whose mobile version was recently rebranded as Wenxiaoyan -- has since been overtaken by ByteDance's Doubao. Doubao is now the leading chatbot in China as measured by monthly active users, according to market intelligence service Sensor Tower. It was the fifth-most downloaded AI app worldwide from January to August, behind ChatGPT and Google Gemini, said Sensor Tower. Robin Li, Baidu's co-founder and chief executive, also announced a new AI image generator iRAG on Tuesday. Li claimed that the image generator had fewer hallucinations as a result of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), a technique for boosting the accuracy of responses with information fetched from outside sources. "Over the past year, the biggest change in AI has been the elimination of hallucinations, using RAG to increase the reliability and accuracy of models," said the Baidu chief executive. While Tencent and Alibaba's stocks have rallied this year, Baidu's has fallen by 26 per cent since January after investors were underwhelmed by its AI offerings and concerned about falling advertising revenues. Baidu generates the bulk of its sales from advertising on its search engine.

Baidu Readies AI Smart Glasses to Rival Meta

Baidu is set to unveil a pair of glasses with a built-in AI assistant. Sources say the Chinese tech giant plans to showcase the product at its annual Baidu World event in Shanghai next week. Bloomberg tech reporter Annabelle Droulers reports. (Source: Bloomberg)