Ray-Ban Meta has been smart glasses . They shoot videos, take photos, stream live, and are an adequate replacement for headphones, all while looking like regular sunglasses. However, everyone was waiting for him after . It’s here now.
What is Multimodal AI? Simply put, it’s a set of tools that allow an AI assistant to process multiple types of data, including photos, videos, text, and audio. It is an artificial intelligence that can see and understand the world around you in real time. This is the concept behind it . The Meta version is more conservative with its promises, and to be honest, we were impressed during our first experience.
Multimodal Meta AI is rolling out on Ray-Ban Meta starting today! This is a huge advance for wearables and makes using AI more interactive and intuitive.
We’re excited to share more about our multimodal work with Meta AI (& Llama 3), stay tuned for more updates soon. pic.twitter.com/DLiCVriMfk
— Ahmad Al-Dahle (@Ahmad_Al_Dahle) April 23, 2024
Here’s how it works. The glasses have a camera and five microphones that act as the eyes and ears of the artificial intelligence. With this in mind, you can ask the glasses to describe everything you’re looking at. Want to know your dog’s breed before you go up and give him a good pet? Just ask the glasses. Meta says he can also read signs in different languages, which is great for travel. We enjoyed yelling, “Hey Meta, look at this and tell me what it says,” and listening as he did it. There’s even a remarkable authentication feature, though it’s not available for testing.
There are other potential use scenarios, such as looking at the empty ingredients on the kitchen counter and asking the AI to prepare an appropriate recipe. However, we need a few weeks of real people to gauge what the technology is good at. Real-time translation will be a killer app, especially for tourists, but hopefully it will minimize hallucinations. There is Mark Zuckerberg for her to wear but, come on, what a pie in the sky that is.
Multimodal AI wasn’t the only update to smart glasses announced today. Meta revealed a hands-free video call integration with WhatsApp and Messenger. There are also some new frame designs for the fashion conscious. These new styles can be fitted with prescription lenses . Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses start at $300, which isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s better than $700 for a hard pin.
