Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses are equipped with a discreet front camera capable of taking photos when instructed or when triggered by specific AI commands such as the keyword “look.” This means the smart glasses can collect a substantial amount of photos, both intentionally taken and otherwise. However, Meta has not committed to keeping these images private, sparking concerns among users and privacy advocates alike. Comment In an interview with TechCrunch, Meta was asked whether it plans to use the images captured from the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses for AI training, as it has done with images from public social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram. The company declined to provide a clear answer. These concerns are heightened by the introduction of a new AI feature in the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which allows them to take numerous passive photos. For instance, a user could ask the glasses to help choose an outfit, and the glasses might then take multiple images of the user’s closet and surroundings. These images could be uploaded to an AI model in the cloud to provide feedback. However, what happens to those photos after they are uploaded remains unclear, as Meta has not specified whether they are used for AI training purposes. Recent reports also revealed that Meta plans to launch a real-time video feature for the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which would allow the device to stream a sequence of images—essentially, live video—into a multimodal AI model. Comment This feature enables the AI to analyze a user’s surroundings and answer real-time questions. Yet, many users may not even be fully aware of how many images are being captured or how frequently the glasses are taking photos of their environment. The passive data collection capabilities of the smart glasses also raise concerns about the privacy of others in the vicinity of the user. Wearing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses essentially means wearing a camera on your face, similar to the privacy issues encountered with Google Glass years ago. Comment One might expect that Meta would assure users that all photos and videos captured by the smart glasses would remain private, but that has not been the case. Meta has already confirmed that it trains its AI models on publicly available data, which includes every American’s public Instagram and Facebook posts. However, the definition of what is considered “publicly available” is expansive and has been adopted by many tech companies. Comment This includes images uploaded to social media platforms but may not extend to personal or private footage taken from wearable devices like smart glasses. Despite this, Meta has not provided a definitive answer as to whether the images captured through the Ray-Ban Meta glasses fall under this category of publicly available data. In contrast to Meta’s vague policies, other AI companies, such as Anthropic and OpenAI, have implemented more transparent rules regarding the use of user data for AI training. Comment For example, Anthropic has a clear policy stating that it does not train its AI models on customer inputs or outputs, while OpenAI also confirms that it does not use user inputs or outputs from its API for training purposes. Meta’s reluctance to disclose its policies surrounding the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses leaves many questions unanswered about how users’ data is being handled and whether it is being utilized for AI training. Comment As wearable AI devices become more prevalent, the importance of transparency and clear policies surrounding data collection and AI training cannot be understated. Comment Users must have a clear understanding of how their personal information and captured images are being used to maintain trust in these technologies. In the case of Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the lack of transparency continues to fuel privacy concerns, as users remain in the dark about what happens to the images they take—or, in some cases, may not even be aware they are taking. September 28, 2024: Kristen Bell Joins Meta AI as Voice, Months After Criticizing the Tech Giant! September 26, 2024: Meta AI Enhances User Experience with New Image Generation and Photo Editing Tools September 26, 2024: Meta AI will feature the voices of Judi Dench, Awkwafina, and John Cena in the new update! September 23, 2024: Meta AI Chatbot Lauds Kamala Harris, Criticizes Trump as ‘Crude and Lazy’! September 2, 2024: Meta AI Surpasses 400 Million Monthly Users, Mark Zuckerberg Confirms! For more news and trends, visit AI News on our website.
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Meta Won’t Clarify if Smart Glasses Photos Are Used to Train AI!
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Midhat Tilawat is endlessly curious about how AI is changing the way we live, work, and think. She loves breaking down big, futuristic ideas into stories that actually make sense—and maybe even spark a little wonder. Outside of the AI world, she’s usually vibing to indie playlists, bingeing sci-fi shows, or scribbling half-finished poems in the margins of her notebook.Midhat Tilawat
Midhat Tilawat is endlessly curious about how AI is changing the way we live, work, and think. She loves breaking down big, futuristic ideas into stories that actually make sense—and maybe even spark a little wonder. Outside of the AI world, she’s usually vibing to indie playlists, bingeing sci-fi shows, or scribbling half-finished poems in the margins of her notebook.
Key Takeaways:
Anuj Kumar, a senior director working on AI wearables at Meta, stated, “We’re not publicly discussing that.”
Meta spokesperson Mimi Huggins added, “That’s not something we typically share externally.” When further pressed for clarification on whether Meta is using these images for AI training, Huggins reiterated, “We’re not saying either way.
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Midhat Tilawat is endlessly curious about how AI is changing the way we live, work, and think. She loves breaking down big, futuristic ideas into stories that actually make sense—and maybe even spark a little wonder. Outside of the AI world, she’s usually vibing to indie playlists, bingeing sci-fi shows, or scribbling half-finished poems in the margins of her notebook.
