Meta said Wednesday it will sell smart glasses without cameras for $349 or more in an effort to quell privacy fears over AI-powered wearables that can record people without their knowledge.
The new Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses will ship Oct. 13 and uses microphones and speakers to offer music, calls and access to Meta’s Muse AI assistant, Reuters reported.
Meta said Muse will be the main interface for its glasses, enabling users to do tasks like shopping and making appointments using voice commands. The company said the decision to go with an audio-only design was not simply a matter of privacy, noting that audio has been the most popular feature on the glasses.
The launch comes as there is increasing scrutiny of Meta’s privacy and recording practices around its camera-enabled smart glasses. Privacy lawsuits have claimed that footage captured by the devices was reviewed by human workers and some venues in Britain have restricted their use. Meta denies the allegations.
The new glasses do address some privacy concerns but IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani warns that audio could still be recorded without consent.
“This is all about consent,” Ubrani told Reuters, adding Meta needs to find ways to alert people when they are being recorded.
The camera-free glasses weigh 43 grams and can last up to 12 hours on a charge.
