Meta's Ray-Bans Now Have Improved AI in Public Beta

I've been living with Meta's AI-enabled Ray-Ban glasses for the last few months, wandering around and using the cameras to identify objects. You'll be able to do the same, now: The feature is entering public beta, according to a new blog post from Meta, about six months after the Ray-Bans first went on sale in 2023. Meta's also adding livestreaming of video views from the glasses to WhatsApp and Messenger calls.

The generative AI features, which use what's called "multimodal" AI, can react to voice prompts and also take snapshots with the onboard camera to analyze real-world things. The feature is similar to what's on Humane's AI Pin, but on a device that costs half the price and doesn't need a subscription.

The AI features are still in beta, available in US and Canada for now. Based on my attempts over the last few months, it's a hit-and-miss process to find when the AI is helpful and when it's not.

A new livestreaming video feature for WhatsApp and Messenger calls promises to show whatever you're seeing with someone on the other end, offering up a sort of instant telepresence to share an experience or maybe even just ask for help on something. Meta's glasses could previously livestream to Instagram, but the one-to-one live video stream here looks to be more private, and also maybe be a footstep towards future telepresence concepts in mixed reality, too.

Meta Ray-Bans See at Meta

Meta also announced new glasses designs and colors, including better fits for lower nose bridges, and a Ferrari tie-in.

Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth shared his thoughts on AI on Meta's hardware recently, and suggested that generative AI could appear on Meta's VR headsets next. Maybe Ray-Bans and their AI assistive functions are a step towards what might show up on a wider range of headsets later this year.

• For expert reviews of generative AI tools like Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, along with all the latest AI news, tips and explainers, see CNET's new AI Atlas guide.