MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Meta unveiled updates to its virtual reality headset and Ray-Ban smart glasses Wednesday in an attempt to prove it can compete in the virtual reality space. artificial intelligence Ingenuity and the next generation of computing platforms that go beyond smartphones and PCs.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg also showed off a prototype of the Orion device, which he described as “the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen.”
“The technical challenges of making it are crazy,” Zuckerberg told a crowd of developers and journalists at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California. For example, the 3D AR glasses would have to be glasses — not a bulky headset. They would have no wires and would weigh less than 100 grams (3.5 ounces), among other things. In addition to interacting with your voice, typing, or hand gestures, Orion would have a “wrist-based neural interface” — allowing you to send signals from your brain to the device, using a wristband that translates the neural signals into digital commands.
Orion’s release date has not been set — Zuckerberg has described it as a “peek into the future.”
Speaking to a crowd of fans, Zuckerberg said Meta is working to “bring the future to everyone” through headsets, glasses and AI. As part of an update to the Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI by speaking, in the voices of celebrities including John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina.
“We’re trying to build a future that’s more open, more accessible, more natural, and more connected to human connection,” Zuckerberg said. “This is a continuation of the values and ideas we brought to the apps and technology we built over the first 20 years of Meta.”
The AI update aimed at influencers allows them to create AI versions of themselves — to interact with fans. On the main stage, an AI version of creator Don Allen Stevenson III appeared on screen and answered questions just like the real creator would. When Zuckerberg asked the creator about raising livestock, he replied, “My expertise is in technology and design, not agriculture.” The previous version of the tool was text-only.
Other AI upgrades include live translation, which Zuckerberg demonstrated on stage. While wearing smart glasses, Zuckerberg spoke in English and Mexican mixed martial artist Brandon Moreno responded in Spanish — and the conversation was translated in real time. People can also dub their videos in another language so that they sound like they’re speaking the native language — even going so far as to change their lip movements to match the language.
The company said Meta AI now has 500 million users, a number Jeremy Goldman of research firm Emarketer called “astonishing.”
“Meta has transformed from a social media company into an AI juggernaut. Zuckerberg’s move toward celebrity voices isn’t just for fun, it poses a direct challenge to OpenAI, with an eye toward real-world utility,” Goldman said.
Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, also offered a cheaper version of the VR headset — the 3S — that will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 is priced at $499. The S3 will start shipping on Oct. 15.
Meta is aggressively cutting prices. Apple’s Pro Vision “We’re aiming to dominate the mid-range AR and VR market,” said Goldman. The VR headset, which was released earlier this year to much anticipation, costs $3,500.
While virtual reality glasses have grabbed more headlines, augmented reality glasses like Ray Bans have turned into an unexpected hit for Meta. The company hasn’t disclosed sales figures, but Zuckerberg said during Meta’s earnings call in July that the glasses “continue to be more successful than we expected — thanks in part to AI.” Zuckerberg said Wednesday that Meta appears to have overcome the supply issues that plagued Ray Bans a few months ago due to high demand.
“It’s kind of the perfect form of AI,” Zuckerberg said, adding that the glasses allow an AI assistant to “see what you see, hear what you hear” and help you go about your daily life.
For example, you could ask Glasses to remind you where to park your car or pick up some groceries, look at a pile of fruit and come up with a smoothie recipe, or help you pick out a party outfit.
Meta — which rebranded itself from Facebook in 2021 — still makes nearly all of its money from advertising. In the last quarter, 98% of its more than $39 billion in revenue came from advertising. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in artificial intelligence and what Zuckerberg sees as the next generation of computing platforms, like virtual reality headsets and augmented reality glasses.
“Despite Meta’s assertion, VR headsets will not become mainstream,” said Mike Proulx, research director at Forrester. “They are too heavy, and people can only carry them for short periods.”
On the other hand, glasses put “computing power squarely in a popular, familiar form factor. As the smart technology that powers these glasses matures, they have the potential to disrupt consumers’ daily interactions with brands.”
The Orion prototype “paves the way for a future where a revolutionary 3D computing platform is within reach and can be truly useful to the everyday consumer,” Proulx said.
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