Meta bets on wearable AI, new AI agent as Zuckerberg pushes back against AI doom

Meta is making a major push into consumer-focused artificial intelligence, unveiling a new AI agent and expanding its AI-powered wearable devices as CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that it is a "wild time to be building" in the industry.

At Meta's annual Connect conference yesterday (23 September), Zuckerberg opened his keynote by noting that people in the technology industry have widely differing views about the future.

"At Meta, we are optimists because we believe in people," he said.

Zuckerberg has distanced himself and Meta from recent calls by rival companies for a coordinated slowdown in the development of advanced artificial intelligence, arguing that individual AI labs can and should ensure their technologies are safe.

"We believe that the best way to create a positive future for everyone is to put power in people's hands," he said at the conference. "We believe that empowering people is the source of prosperity in the world, that the highest purpose of superintelligence is creation and invention—not automation—and that the path to a safe future is to distribute this technology widely and create the right checks and balances, rather than concentrating it in the hands of just a few."

Zuckerberg has long predicted that wearable AI will eventually replace smartphones as the primary way people interact with technology.

At the conference, Meta unveiled a series of updates to its smart glasses and virtual reality glasses, allowing users to control interfaces with their voices, eyes, and hand and finger movements.

AI agent Muse is the centerpiece of Meta's vision

Zuckerberg said Meta's recently launched AI agent Muse is the "centerpiece" of the company's optimistic vision for the future of AI.

Unlike chatbots, AI agents can act and perform tasks on behalf of users. Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang described having an AI agent as a "sign of someone who is completely AI-pilled" and said Muse is designed to make such agents more accessible and bring "personal superintelligence" to everyone.

Using a mascot resembling a plush toy, Wang and other senior Meta executives demonstrated various everyday uses for Muse.

Users will be able to hold real-time voice conversations and video chats with their version of the agent, which can also be customized in appearance and voice. The agent can help users plan trips, book reservations, order groceries, and perform other tasks.

Meta has partnered with companies including OpenTable, Spotify, and Ticketmaster to help its AI agents carry out those tasks.

The company is also working to bring Muse to its AI glasses lineup for hands-free access.

Zuckerberg said Meta plans to release a keychain-like device called Muse Charm during the holiday season in December. The palm-sized device will offer the "whole Muse experience," allowing users to interact with a personal AI agent without a phone, computer, or smart glasses.

New AI audio glasses and updates to existing models

Meta is launching an audio-only version of its popular smart glasses. The new product will allow users to listen to music, make calls, and interact with an AI assistant, but it will have no display or video-recording capability.

Called Ray-Ban Meta Audio, the glasses will be available in October, with prices starting at $349.

Meta is also expanding a previous feature designed to help users hear conversations more clearly in noisy environments. Zuckerberg said a new hearing enhancement feature will turn the glasses into an "FDA-cleared, over-the-counter hearing aid" that can "compensate for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss."

The feature will launch in the United States later this year and will cost $150 for supported AI glasses or be available through a Meta One subscription.

Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses are also getting new features, including improved cycling and transit navigation and a personalized hologram for video calls.

The company is adding more styles to attract a wider range of users and said it will offer more than 100 options across its Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Meta Glasses brands by the end of the year.

The glasses will also expand to additional markets, including Turkey, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.

The latest generation of the classic Ray-Ban Meta glasses is now available, featuring a slimmer design and longer battery life, among other upgrades. Generation 3 models start at $449.

Meta replaces bulky VR headset with lighter glasses

The most significant update announced at the conference involves Meta's virtual reality hardware, now called Meta VR Glasses.

The bulky headset has been replaced by a pair of glasses weighing about 100 grams (3.5 ounces), roughly the weight of a deck of cards. By comparison, the Meta Quest 3, launched in 2023, weighs about five times as much.

Despite their lighter and slimmer design, the glasses require a wired connection to an external puck that provides battery power, storage, and computing capabilities.

The VR glasses use an eye-tracking camera and sensors instead of traditional controllers or the neural wristband used with some earlier devices. Users can look at an item to select it and use hand and finger gestures to interact with it, while voice commands can also be used to communicate with the Meta AI agent.

During a demonstration at Meta's Menlo Park, California, headquarters on Tuesday, the company showcased entertainment and workplace features, including sports events and concerts designed to replicate the experience of having courtside or front-row seats.

A new feature called "VR Enhanced Cinema" aims to immerse viewers in films by transforming the area around the screen into a virtual environment inspired by the movie, using dynamic effects, 3D visuals, and spatial audio.

When the glasses launch, users will have access to more than 100 immersive live sports events from a courtside-style perspective through partnerships with ESPN, MLB, NBC Sports, TNT Sports, and UFC.

Meta said the glasses can also function as a gaming console, with more than 75 games planned at launch that can be played entirely through hand gestures.

The glasses will also support workplace use. Users can project a virtual keyboard onto any flat surface and use the glasses as a computer display, including multiple virtual screens visible only to the wearer.

Users will also be able to connect Mac or Windows computers to the glasses, allowing them to use existing keyboards and mice. Unlike earlier headsets, the VR glasses will allow users to see their desks and surroundings while working.

In one of Zuckerberg's live demonstrations, the glasses also showed the ability to use holographic technology to project a photorealistic digital version of another person, including real-time facial expressions and reactions, for hands-free video calls.

The VR glasses are scheduled to launch in spring 2027 at a starting price of $1,300.