Will AI shades see off the tour guide? Meta and Ray-Ban unveil smart glasses which show the user information on what they are looking at and help translate signs and menus
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- Ray-Ban partners with Meta to integrate AI technology into sunglasses
- Futuristic glasses will have cameras and can answer user questions
- The glasses cost £245 and will be available in the UK from next month
They’re at the top of most travelers’ packing checklists.
And now sunglasses could become even more holiday essentials, thanks to technology that allows them to double as an electronic tour guide.
Luxury brand Ray-Ban has partnered with Meta – the company behind Instagram and Facebook – to integrate AI technology into the frames. With cameras, microphones and speakers, the glasses allow the user to ask for information about what they see, or get help translating signs or menus.
Tourists can also share their experiences with friends and family back home by live streaming videos on social media or sending photos directly back.
The smart glasses are among the first devices to use Meta’s new AI chatbots – technology that aims to mimic human conversations.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg discusses the partnership with Ray-Ban during the Meta Connect event at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park
The smart glasses are available in three colors
The company says the chatbots will have “personality” and will be specifically tailored to certain topics, such as travel.
By using real-time information, compared to a library of images and data, they can give users immediate feedback on what they are looking at.
However, guides who may fear for their future will be encouraged by the checkered history of smart glasses. Often touted as ‘the next big thing’, they have been launched many times without success, the latest example being the Google Glass model which was scrapped earlier this year.
Meta says it is confident it will buck the trend by making its sunglasses stylish and comfortable. Product manager Hind Hobeika said: ‘Smart glasses will be an important platform in the future… because soon you will be able to tell your AI what you see and hear what you hear.’
The £245 glasses, which weigh little more than a regular pair of Ray-Bans, will be available in Britain from next month.