Blind Meta glasses user warns against backlash over vital aid

Blind Meta smart glasses user Kai Østergaard says the technology has become an essential aid in his daily life, as criticism grows over people being filmed without their knowledge, DR reports.

The glasses use artificial intelligence to function as a kind of digital vision for Østergaard, who lives in southern Jutland. He asks them to describe what is around him and provide information that he cannot see himself.

He uses the glasses to choose clothes, have documents read aloud during meetings in his role as chair of the Danish Disability Organisations in Vejen, and check whether food in the refrigerator has expired. He also uses them to find places where he can let his guide dog, Elvis, run free and ask whether other people or dogs are nearby.

Østergaard, who became blind rather than being born blind, has also used the glasses to describe his garden and the houses in his neighbourhood. He says he can no longer imagine life without them. His wife is also blind.

Meta’s glasses, made in cooperation with Ray-Ban, resemble ordinary spectacles but include artificial intelligence, a camera and audio playback. They have recently faced intense criticism after reports that people, including women in Denmark and abroad, were secretly filmed and later found videos of themselves on social media.

Several influencers and fashion magazines have stopped promoting the glasses following criticism in comment sections. The Red-Green Alliance has proposed a ban, while Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen of the Social Democrats has said he will examine how people in Denmark can best be protected against misuse of the technology.

Diana Stentoft, chair of the Danish Association of the Blind, said any restrictions should take into account people for whom the glasses are a major help.

“We should not assume that everyone wearing glasses that can record has bad intentions,” she said.

Stentoft said artificial intelligence glasses could be life-changing for blind and partially sighted people by giving them information about the world around them and reducing their dependence on help from others, such as when they need to find the right bus during rush hour.

“It is simply a revolution and probably one of the most transformative aids to have reached the market in many years,” she said, adding that the glasses could provide greater freedom and mobility.

However, she fears that terms such as “stalker glasses” could lead to negative reactions. She said blind and partially sighted people might face hostility when using the glasses in public, for example while reading a menu in a restaurant.

“No one should be harassed or filmed against their will. But I worry that we will develop a form of self-policing that ends up affecting blind and partially sighted people who need the glasses,” Stentoft said.

Østergaard said he was saddened that some people misuse technology that can help others.

“I really hope that people who meet me and others wearing the glasses understand how much of a help they are to us, and that we should not be held accountable for the stupidity of others,” he said.

He hopes more blind and partially sighted people will be able to use the glasses as an aid, saying they provide significant independence to people who are often reliant on others.