Lorde Critiques Meta's AI Glasses: An Aesthetic and Ethical Flop

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Key Takeaways

1At a festival in Madrid, Lorde strongly criticized Meta's AI glasses, highlighting privacy concerns.

2Despite the criticism, Meta has sold over 7 million Ray-Ban AI glasses by 2025, tripling sales from previous years.

3The AI glasses, while popular, are accused of facilitating harassment and raising serious ethical issues.

💡Why it matters — Celebrity critiques like Lorde's can influence public opinion on controversial technologies, potentially impacting their sales and future development.

Lorde Opposes Meta's AI Glasses

While Kylie Jenner promotes Meta's AI glasses, singer Lorde has expressed a very different opinion. During her performance at the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, she shared her reservations about this emerging technology, which is already raising concerns among many privacy experts.

Lorde spoke to the audience to express her skepticism: “In our current world, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to discern the real,” she stated. She went on to question the nature of the glasses people wear, wondering if they were merely sunglasses or these new AI glasses that she described as “f—ed up.” She concluded her remarks with a firm piece of advice: “F— the glasses. Don’t buy the glasses. Not sexy.”

An Anti-Technology Stance

This isn’t Lorde’s first critique of modern technologies. She previously made headlines by mentioning that she threw her phone into the sea, but her recent comments mark a further step in her commitment against certain innovations.

Her stance may have been influenced by the partnership between Ray-Ban, the festival's sponsor, and Meta for the production of these AI glasses. Additionally, Lorde shared the stage with Jennie, the ambassador for Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which may have heightened her desire to speak out on the topic.

AI Glasses Under Fire

Lorde is not alone in her concerns. Smart glasses, equipped with cameras and AI capabilities, are criticized for their potential to be used in acts of harassment and extortion. Meta, which dominates the smart glasses market, claims to take privacy issues seriously and has integrated features like a visible recording indicator. However, the company is facing investigations and lawsuits for alleged privacy violations. One particular complaint mentions that Kenyan workers were reportedly forced to view graphic content captured by these glasses to train Meta's AI, although the company has yet to publicly respond to this allegation.

Commercial Success Despite Controversies

Despite these controversies, sales of the AI glasses continue to grow. EssilorLuxottica, the manufacturer of Ray-Ban, announced that it expects to sell over 7 million Meta AI glasses by 2025, a figure that far exceeds the 2 million units sold in 2023 and 2024 combined. This commercial success is prompting Meta to expand its product range in this category.

Aesthetics as the Last Resort

If privacy concerns are not enough to deter consumers, Lorde hopes that the aesthetic aspect will. She summarizes her thoughts by stating that these glasses are simply “not sexy.” For her, it is the present, in its simplicity and authenticity, that is truly appealing.