Meta Opens Connect Conference, Camera-Free Smart Glasses Expected

Meta Platforms opened its annual Connect conference on Wednesday, with expectations that the company will unveil new smart glasses, including a model that does away with cameras, as scrutiny mounts over AI-powered devices capable of recording people without their knowledge.

The social media company has established an early lead in the race to bring AI devices to consumers. Sales of the smart glasses it co-developed with EssilorLuxottica climbed to more than 7 million last year, giving Meta a dominant position in a market where its main rivals are Chinese firms such as RayNeo and Xiaomi.

That growing popularity, however, has fuelled concerns worldwide about the devices' capacity to record people covertly. Several restaurants, pubs and theatres in the United Kingdom have placed restrictions on their use.

The glasses have also attracted legal action, including a proposed class action in California that alleges Meta misled users about privacy protections. The suit claims human annotators training its AI viewed and labelled footage of people's private moments, including changing clothes, after recordings were uploaded to its servers. Meta disputes the allegations and intends to defend itself.

At the conference, Meta is expected to introduce the camera-free glasses in two styles, one called Clubmaster and another named Burbank. Analysts also anticipate a new version of its Meta Ray-Ban glasses equipped with cameras, along with a thinner and lighter pair of augmented-reality glasses that reports say carries the code name Phoenix.

The possible Phoenix launch follows Snap's recent announcement of new partnerships and software details for its $2,195 Specs augmented-reality glasses, which are set to launch later this year.

Some analysts are sceptical that simply removing cameras will resolve privacy worries about AI devices that can still capture audio. Dropping the camera could also weaken demand, since taking photos and video is among the most popular features of such devices.

"Microphones and audio collection could trigger similar concerns, although likely to a lesser degree," said Linda Sui, founder of market research firm Smart Analytics Global. She added that removing the camera from glasses that also lack a heads-up display would create a product differentiation challenge, as consumers may question why they need smart glasses rather than Bluetooth earbuds if the main experience is limited to voice interaction, microphones and speakers.