More like an assistant, but not yet

Ray-Ban Meta glasses are the best way to secretly take pictures of the world around you without having to dig around in your pocket for your phone. But Meta wants its glasses to be legitimized as more than just an accessory with robust camera capabilities to document everyday life. It wants you to think of these glasses as your gateway to interacting with AI. These stylish sunglasses could also be the digital assistant in your ear.

Unfortunately, that still seems a long way off from where Ray-Ban Meta glasses are right now. At Meta Connect, the company announced several new AI-enhanced features for Ray-Ban glasses. The ones I got to try out in a demo include things like Reminders, which let you ask Meta AI to remind you of things, and the ability to scan QR codes. I didn’t use anything that Meta won’t be releasing until later this year. That includes Meta AI’s ability to help you translate languages ​​live for English, French, Italian, and Spanish. It’s a shame these features aren’t available yet, as they’re more like assistants and could really show off Meta AI’s potential.

After I asked it to, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses reminded me that the bread was in the oven. Granted, I had to set a time for it to remind me. I initially asked for it to remind me of the bread when I arrived at a specific location, but the Meta AI told me it couldn’t yet tap into location data—again, a missed opportunity for a decidedly assistant-like feature.

You can recall reminders you’ve left to help you find information. One example I was given was asking Meta AI to remember where you parked in the airport garage. It can then recall that information when you ask it to retrieve it. But wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t have to ask it? Reminders are the kind of features that would benefit from location data, something Google and Apple’s AI can already do. While it’s nice that they’re built into this specific set of glasses, they need to do more. Soon.

At a minimum, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses can help translate signs into other languages ​​and scan QR codes to load the link onto your phone. They also sound great when music blares from the frames. As part of its Meta Connect announcement package, the glasses now work with Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeart Radio. I listened to Joost, my Europefrom Spotify to hear how a bass-heavy song sounds on the Meta glasses. The bass wasn’t there, but the ambiance was. If Meta can provide more sophisticated AI, that will definitely help the ambiance.