The AI glasses era has officially begun, with the devices rapidly emerging as the next-generation platform to succeed smartphones. Simply wear the glasses, look at an object, and ask a question\u2014the AI responds immediately. With Meta already in the South Korean market, Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), Google, and Apple are preparing to enter the fray, heightening market expectations. Experts agree that “while the technological potential is enormous, privacy issues and social acceptance will be the key variables determining market expansion.”<\/p>\n
‘Hey Meta’ AI Glasses Hands-On: Everything You See Becomes a Search Bar<\/p>\n
We tested Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 Skyler model firsthand. The exterior closely resembles ordinary sunglasses\u2014only slightly thicker temples and a camera with an LED indicator on the front corners distinguish it. The product is priced at \u20a9690,000 (approximately $457). Since there is no display projected onto the lenses, even those with poor vision can use them by simply replacing the prescription lenses.<\/p>\n
Operation is straightforward. After installing the Meta AI app on a smartphone and connecting via Bluetooth, saying “Hey Meta” activates the device. Pressing the button on the top of the right temple takes a photo; holding it starts video recording. Voice commands also work for capturing media. Swiping up or down on the side of the right temple adjusts volume, while a single tap pauses or resumes music.<\/p>\n
The most impressive feature is the real-time Q&A about objects in view. Looking at a book cover and saying, “Tell me the plot of this book,” prompted the AI to identify the title and author before summarizing the key content. The entire process of pulling out a smartphone, opening a search bar, and typing in a book title was eliminated. When asked to translate a Reuters article on screen, a Korean interpretation soon streamed from the speaker near the ear. Compared against a real-time Korean translation, the interpretation was remarkably accurate.<\/p>\n
The glasses could even solve TOEIC exam questions. When asked to solve a reading comprehension passage and its questions, the AI, after a brief pause, provided explanations and the correct answers. It was immediately clear why concerns about exam cheating have surfaced. The device also served ably as a dietary coach. Looking at bread, eggs, and milk on a plate and asking, “How many calories if I eat all of this?” prompted the AI to estimate the calorie count for each item.<\/p>\n
However, the experience was not without flaws. Voice recognition frequently faltered in noisy environments. As a product launched in South Korea only this year, its Korean reading and contextual understanding capabilities were lacking. When asked to read from an open book, it would initially recognize Korean text well, but then render a phrase like “My whole body feels heavy as lead” into nonsensical gibberish. The AI also exhibited characteristic hallucination phenomena. When asked to identify objects on a table, it described a “cup” that was not actually there. The absence of a display screen to verify answers also left something to be desired.<\/p>\n
Overall, AI glasses appear more likely to serve as a complement to smartphones rather than a complete replacement, at least initially. For now, they function more as a “hands-free AI” for the pre-smartphone stage, but the fact that a first-person device like glasses has become the AI’s eyes and ears represents a significant perceptual shift.<\/p>\n
AI Glasses Market ‘Rapid Growth’: Samsung, Google, Apple Enter the Arena<\/p>\n
The outlook for the AI glasses industry is bright. According to global market research firm SmartAnalyticsGlobal (SAG), the global AI glasses market is projected to expand from approximately $1.2 billion last year to $5.6 billion this year. Sales volumes are expected to grow from 6 million to 20 million units. Market research firm Omdia forecasts that the AI glasses market will surpass 10 million units this year and reach 35 million units by 2030.<\/p>\n
Meta is the frontrunner. According to Omdia, Meta’s global AI smart glasses market share reached 85.2% last year. Its strategy of partnering with eyewear brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley to position the product as a wearable fashion item proved effective. The company’s pragmatic focus on lightweight, relatively affordable AI voice-assistant glasses, rather than heavy and expensive augmented reality (AR) devices, is credited with opening up the early market.<\/p>\n
Competition is set to intensify. Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm, is preparing an Android XR-based smart glasses product tentatively named “Galaxy Glass.” The device is scheduled for a full unveiling at the Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22. Recently leaked online videos show the Galaxy Glass featuring a rectangular frame similar to regular glasses. Samsung Electronics and Google developed the design in collaboration with global eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker\u2014a strategy mirroring Meta’s partnerships with Ray-Ban and Oakley.<\/p>\n
According to the leaked video, a touchpad on the right temple allows finger gestures to control music playback and volume. A front-facing camera captures photos and videos, with an external LED illuminating to alert others when recording is in progress. Captured photos and videos can be immediately viewed on a Galaxy smartphone via the “Now Bar” feature. Expected specifications include the Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 platform, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, a 12-megapixel Sony IMX681 image sensor, an approximately 155mAh battery, and directional speakers. Weight is estimated at around 50 grams.<\/p>\n
Apple is also reportedly exploring a lighter, more everyday glasses-type device following its high-end Vision Pro headset. Chinese companies are entering the market with lower-priced products. According to Counterpoint Research, global smart eyewear shipments surged 83% year-over-year in the first quarter. Display-less smart glasses grew 210% and AR glasses rose 136%, while virtual reality (VR) devices declined 17%, indicating a rapid market shift toward smart glasses.<\/p>\n
Privacy at the Heart of Regulatory Debate: Calls for Mandatory Shutter Sounds<\/p>\n
Regulatory debates represent the biggest variable for market growth, with privacy invasion as the central issue. While AI glasses feature an LED that indicates recording, a small light alone makes it difficult for bystanders to know they are being filmed\u2014especially outdoors or in crowded spaces. Smartphone photography is somewhat detectable by the device in hand and the user’s posture, but glasses enable framing a shot with just a glance.<\/p>\n
The exam cheating problem has already materialized. AI glasses were recently used for cheating at a TOEIC test site in South Korea, heightening the need for a response in educational settings. There are growing calls for standards on where AI glasses use should be permitted in spaces where sensitive information is exchanged, such as banks, hospitals, offices, and schools.<\/p>\n
Professor Lee Kyung-jun of Kyung Hee University’s Department of Big Data Applications said, “Smart glasses are technologically very powerful devices, but whether they gain social acceptance hinges on the privacy issue as a key variable. Social consensus on which spaces to permit their use must come first.”<\/p>\n
Opinions favoring mandatory shutter sounds are also emerging. Under current South Korean Personal Information Protection Commission regulations and guidelines, “mobile image processing devices” like AI glasses must clearly notify surrounding people of recording through external LED lights or alert sounds. However, some AI glasses currently on the market rely more on LED indicators than shutter sounds.<\/p>\n
Professor Kim Seung-joo of Korea University’s Graduate School of Information Security said, “Shutter sounds are mandated on smartphones, and if smart glasses alone are exempt, it could spark fairness controversies. Once these devices become widely adopted in South Korea, the government is highly likely to demand measures similar to those for smartphones.”<\/p>\n
Limitations in the current legal framework are also noted. South Korea’s existing Personal Information Protection Act primarily focuses on regulating “personal information handlers”\u2014entities like corporations or public institutions that collect and use personal data. Consequently, an individual using AI glasses to film others for private purposes is difficult to sanction under the Personal Information Protection Act alone.<\/p>\n
Professor Choi Kyung-jin of Gachon University’s School of Law, who serves as president of the Korea Artificial Intelligence Law Society, emphasized, “The current Personal Information Protection Act is designed around CCTV and personal information handlers, so its application to AI glasses used by ordinary individuals is limited. An integrated legal framework covering image information and image processing devices as a whole is needed. While we cannot regulate every individual usage, we must establish reasonable minimum standards and safety criteria.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The AI glasses era has officially begun, with the devices rapidly emerging as the next-generation platform to succeed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101125,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[24,319,52606,132,1429,1122,4959,1340,52605,13894,52607,52608],"class_list":["post-101124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-google","tag-ai","tag-apple","tag-galaxy-glass","tag-google","tag-google-ai","tag-meta","tag-omdia","tag-qualcomm","tag-ray-ban-meta-gen-2","tag-samsung-electronics","tag-smartanalyticsglobal","tag-south-koreas-personal-information-protection-commission"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}