Meta and Snap are pushing hard into AI-powered smart glasses, but a wave of consumer backlash over privacy and design could undercut their ambitions.
Recording Controversies Mount for Meta
Meta recently had to patch its AI glasses after learning that some owners were paying hackers to disable the recording indicator light, allowing covert filming. The company has also faced scrutiny after reports that contractors reviewing footage captured through the glasses viewed intimate moments, including private bathroom and sexual content, which prompted a U.K. regulatory investigation. Despite this, Meta is reportedly testing a version of the glasses designed to record continuously without indicator lights, feeding footage into a personalized AI training system, and is also considering adding facial recognition capability. As a result, the devices are increasingly being nicknamed “pervert glasses,” with some wearers reportedly embarrassed to use them publicly.
Even celebrities have joined the criticism. Pop star Lorde told a festival crowd in Madrid that AI glasses make it harder to know when someone is filming, urging fans against buying them.
Snap’s Design Faces Ridicule
Snapchat’s new AR Specs have fared little better. Unveiled at a recent launch event, the glasses drew mockery for their bulky design, with much of the attention focused on an awkward promotional image of CEO Evan Spiegel wearing the oversized frames. Priced around $2,000, the specs may struggle to gain traction despite celebrity endorsements.
The situation echoes Google Glass, which Google discontinued in 2015 after backlash over privacy, price, and public stigma. Some jurisdictions are already restricting AI glasses; New York’s court system recently banned camera-equipped eyewear from all courthouses, a move likely to be replicated elsewhere as scrutiny grows.