Meta unveils camera-free AI glasses as privacy concerns persist

Meta has unveiled an audio-only version of its artificial-intelligence glasses, removing the camera as the company promotes a wider range of wearable devices. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the products on Wednesday at Meta’s annual Connect conference in Menlo Park. The camera-free glasses will ship on October 13 and start at $349.

The launch comes amid international concern about privacy and the filming of women and girls without consent. Meta’s other smart-glasses models retain the ability to take photographs and record video. The company says a recording indicator light is an important safeguard, and Vishal Shah, its vice-president of AI product, said Meta had made the light more explicit over time.

The glasses can be used for functions including listening to music, making calls, translating text and interacting with an AI assistant. Meta is also introducing new styles of its Ray-Ban glasses and expanding the availability of a display model priced from $799 to Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Canada. The company announced lighter mixed-reality glasses, called Meta VR Glasses, that use an external battery and memory pack connected by a cord.

They are scheduled for spring 2027 at $1,299 and will rely on voice commands and hand gestures rather than external controls. Meta also promoted Muse, an AI assistant designed to carry out tasks after users connect personal accounts. The company said the app had become the leading free app in both major mobile app stores.

Meta said several retailers and services were partnering with Muse, while Amazon had blocked its AI bots from automated shopping. The announcements come as Meta faces child-safety and privacy challenges, including a US settlement involving allegations over consumer-protection and children’s online-privacy laws.