Mark Zuckerberg outlined his ambitious vision for Meta’s AI smart glasses business during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. After shifting its Reality Labs investments away from the metaverse, Meta is now concentrating heavily on producing AI wearables and developing its own AI models.
Zuckerberg drew a parallel to the rise of smartphones, stating that billions of people already wear glasses for vision correction. He believes it is only a matter of time before most of these become AI glasses, suggesting we are at a similar inflection point. He added that sales of Meta’s glasses have tripled in the past year, calling them some of the fastest-growing consumer electronics in history.
It is wise to view Zuckerberg’s outlook with some skepticism. He previously championed a future where people would work and socialize in the metaverse, a vision that has not materialized as once predicted.
Nevertheless, the broader industry momentum suggests AI glasses are entering a significant phase, even if not on the scale of smartphones. Google is expected to launch a line of smart glasses this year following a major partnership. Apple is also reportedly planning to unveil smart glasses within the next couple of years, reallocating some staff from other projects. Meanwhile, Snap recently announced it would spin its AR glasses, called Specs, into a new standalone company.
Even OpenAI, which has not yet released hardware, is exploring AI wearables, potentially focusing on a pin or earbuds format. Apple is also rumored to be working on a small, standalone AI device.
For now, Meta is at the forefront of bringing smart glasses to market, with several models already available. This includes Oakley smart glasses designed for exercise, which currently represents one of the most promising and practical use cases observed for this emerging technology.