Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses from Meta are getting several new AI-powered updatesincluding the ability to have a continuous conversation and translate between languages.
Ray-Ban Meta owners in the Meta Early Access program for the US and Canada can now download firmware v11, which adds “Live AI.” First introduced this fall, Live AI allows users to continuously chat with Meta’s AI assistant, Meta AI, to reference things they discussed earlier in the conversation. Without having to say the wake word “Hey Meta,” users can interrupt Meta AI to ask follow-up questions or change the subject.
Live AI also works with real-time video. Users can ask questions about what they see in real time, for example what’s in their neighborhood.
Real-time AI video for Ray-Ban Meta was a major focus of Meta’s Connect development conference earlier this fall. Positioned as an answer to OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode with Vision and Google’s Project Astra, the technology allows Meta’s AI to answer questions about what’s in view of the glasses’ front camera.
With Monday’s update, Meta becomes one of the first tech giants to commercialize real-time AI video on smart glasses. Google recently said it plans to sell AR glasses with similar capabilities, but the company has not committed to a concrete timeline.
Meta claims that in the future, live AI will even give “helpful suggestions” before the user requests them. What kind of suggestions? The company would not say so.
The v11 firmware also features live translation, allowing Ray-Ban Meta users to translate voice in real time between English and Spanish, French or Italian. When a user talks to someone who speaks one of those languages, they will hear what the speaker says in English through the glasses’ open speakers and get a transcript on their paired phone.
Ray-Ban Meta also supports Shazam as of firmware v11. Users can say “Hey Meta, Shazam this song” to have the glasses try to find the currently playing tune.
Meta warns that the new feature, particularly live AI and live translation, may not always get things right. “We continue to learn what works best and improve the experience for everyone,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Ray-Ban Meta last received a major update in November, when Meta began rolling out certain AI features to glasses wearers in France, Italy, and Spain. The glasses continue to sell quite well; In October, Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica said VR uploads that Ray-Ban Meta were the best-selling glasses in 60% of all Ray-Ban stores in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.