American company Meta has started introducing some AI functions to users of its Ray-Ban Meta AR glasses in France, Italy, Ireland and Spain. Starting Monday, users in these countries can interact with Meta AI, Meta’s AI assistant, using their voice to get answers to common questions. As part of this update, Meta AI will now be available in French, Italian, and Spanish in addition to English. Meta announced this in a blog post To.
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With Meta AI on the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, people can ask questions on the go and “get answers and information, recommendations or even creative writing suggestions in real time,” Meta praises its new feature. Does. The ability to answer questions about what users see, e.g. B. “Hey Meta, tell me more about this attraction”, is still not available outside the United States, Australia and Canada.
European regulation as a brake
This is also related to the fact that data protection regulations in the European Union (EU) are much more restrictive, for example in the European AI Act, which creates a legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence (AI). Additionally, there are provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), EU data protection law, that relate to AI training.
Meta trains its AI models, including the models that control the functions of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, using posts and images posted publicly on Facebook and Instagram. This so-called “scraping” is not allowed in the European Union. In June, after Ireland’s data protection authority told Zuckerberg Group not to use data from Instagram and Facebook for algorithm training of its large language models, Meta temporarily halted AI training with the data under the GDPR. Was cancelled. Previously, Meta users in the EU could object to the use of their own data using an objection form (opt-out).
Since their market launch in September 2023, Meta has now revealed that they have worked “tirelessly” to ensure that Ray-Ban Meta glasses comply with the complex European regulatory system. And further: “We are pleased to now be able to offer Meta AI and its innovative functions in parts of the EU, and we look forward to expanding to other European countries soon.”
Metas Ray-Ban glasses are popular even without AI
Even without AI, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses were a bestseller. They were the most frequently sold glasses in 60 percent of Ray-Ban stores in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Smart AR glasses, created in collaboration with Meta and Ray-Ban, have been around for more than a year. This follows the Ray-Ban Stories, which were able to take video and photos. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses also have a speaker, a microphone, and a touchpad in the temple. Users can use these to listen to music or receive calls. Two Harvard students even managed to recognize strangers on the street. This is likely to further fuel discussion about data protection standards for AR glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
(AKN)
