Zuckerberg Warns: "Those Without AI Glasses Will Be Left Behind"

Next-Generation Glasses – The New Face of Digital Assistants Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made significant statements about the integration of artificial intelligence into our daily lives. According to Zuckerberg, AI-powered smart glasses will become the most natural and efficient way for humans to interact with digital assistants in the future. These glasses will have the ability to perceive what the user sees and hears and provide real-time feedback.

Zuckerberg summarized this vision as follows:

"If you don't have AI glasses, or a way to interact with AI, you'll be at a significant cognitive disadvantage."

Meta’s Strategic Steps Meta previously collaborated with brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley to launch smart glasses that are already available on the market. These devices offer features like listening to music, taking photos and videos, and communicating with AI assistants via voice commands. Sales of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have tripled in just one year, exceeding expectations.

Zuckerberg believes the true potential will emerge when advanced display technologies are integrated into these glasses.

High Investment, High Risk Meta's work in this area is led by its Reality Labs division — which also happens to be the company’s most costly unit. In the second quarter of 2025 alone, Reality Labs reported a $4.53 billion loss. Since 2020, total losses have neared $70 billion.

Zuckerberg justifies these expenses by positioning AI-powered glasses as the next major computing platform of the future.

The Competition Is Heating Up Meta is not the only player in the race to develop AI-enabled devices. OpenAI recently acquired the startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive for $6.5 billion to develop its own AI hardware. Meanwhile, other startups are exploring alternatives like wearable AI badges (Humane) or AI-powered necklaces (Limitless, Friend).

Despite these variations, smart glasses hold a social advantage — they are more likely to be accepted by the public as a natural accessory.

Are Smart Glasses the Key to the Metaverse? According to Zuckerberg, these glasses won't just enable AI interaction, but also serve as the bridge between the physical and digital worlds:

"Glasses are the ideal way to merge the physical and digital worlds. That’s why the Metaverse vision will also be shaped and accelerated by AI."