Meta is doing its part to make 2025 the year of smart glasses by releasing the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses in several European countries. Soon, people in France, Italy, Ireland and Spain will be able to purchase the AI-powered wearables, and the Meta AI assistant will be able to communicate with users in Spanish, French, Italian and English.
“With Meta AI on Ray-Ban Meta glasses, people have a hands-free way to ask questions on the go and receive real-time answers and information, recommendations, or even some creative writing inspiration,” Meta described in a blog post. “For example, you can ask, ‘Hey Meta, what’s the best pastry shop in Paris?’ or “What are some good gift ideas for my 6 and 8 year olds?” and get an immediate answer.”
European countries do not have access to all the features of the smart glasses available in the US, Canada and Australia. Specifically, European wearers won’t be able to ask Meta AI about what’s around them or hear descriptions of landmarks or events around them, at least for now.
In the US, you can look at the Statue of Liberty and ask about its history, or ask the AI to tell you what type of plant you see on a walk.
AI-EU
That could be a regulatory issue regarding the smart glasses and their visual processing capabilities rather than a technical hurdle. This isn’t the first time Meta has cited the EU’s regulatory environment as a barrier to feature rollouts.
Similar rules delayed the release of the Meta AI assistant across the continent. As the tech giant continues to work with government agencies, more European countries will likely gain access to the smart glasses.
Still, four new countries and three new languages are a big problem. They greatly expand the potential market, especially in regions where English is uncommon. Furthermore, there are a huge number of countries where Spanish and French are spoken, albeit in many different dialects.