Smart glasses bring AI promise and privacy concerns
Tuesday 15th September 2026 on 00:30 in
Iceland
Smart glasses could become the next major technology platform, but their cameras have raised privacy concerns, mbl.is reports. The glasses are already being used in Iceland and are available in a small number of local shops.
The technology has been banned in schools across Oslo, Norway, at all education levels on data-protection grounds. International media have also reported cases in which people were recorded without their knowledge, including videos of users speaking to girls that were later uploaded online.
At the same time, the glasses offer a range of potential uses. They can help people understand their surroundings, particularly those with impaired vision, provide directions and offer information about objects and places.
Guðmundur Jóhannsson, a technology enthusiast and communications manager at Digital Iceland, told mbl.is that artificial intelligence is what makes the glasses especially significant. Users can speak to them instead of typing questions such as what a sign says, what is in front of them or what the daily special is at a restaurant.
The glasses use a camera and artificial intelligence to respond. Guðmundur said users are effectively communicating with Meta’s artificial intelligence model, which is similar to other AI models. He also said the glasses could help people with impaired vision perceive their surroundings.
Concerns remain over people being recorded without knowing it. Guðmundur said Meta’s glasses have a flashing red light while recording, and the company claims the camera is disabled if the light is covered with tape or disconnected. He said he could not confirm how reliably that system works.
“This is incredible and exciting technology, but as with all other technology, there will always be people who misuse it,” Guðmundur said.
Google’s Glass project failed to gain traction after an experiment in 2013. Meta’s smart glasses, developed in partnership with Ray-Ban manufacturer EssilorLuxottica, have performed considerably better.