Meta is building a pair of smart glasses that will retail for about $1000.
Mark Zuckerberg says people who do not use the AI eyewear risk falling behind.
The company plans to launch its futuristic augmented-reality glasses later this year.
Meta first entered immersive tech when it bought Oculus in 2014 for roughly $2 billion.
That purchase marked the start of its investments in virtual and mixed reality.
Although the Metaverse has become a distant and disappointing memory, Zuckerberg remains willing to absorb losses to push the technology forward.
He has reportedly been prepared to keep losing $60 billion on the project to advance the tech.
Still, his work on AR could pay off.
AR overlays digital information on top of the real world.
Meta’s upcoming device, codenamed Hypernova, aims to change how wearables look and work, according to Bloomberg.
Prototype models include a small monocular display tucked into the lower-right area of the right lens.
The panel lets you see content, run apps, and capture photos through the glasses.
Current prototypes show content in only one lens, but Meta reportedly plans a later model with a binocular display for both eyes.
You will be able to browse camera settings, view a photo gallery, and use messaging apps like Messenger and WhatsApp.
That means you could chat with a group while walking around a city without others noticing.
What if you cannot or will not spend $1000 on AI eyewear?
You may end up missing out.
Zuckerberg has argued glasses will become the main interface for AI.
During Meta’s second-quarter earnings call, TechCrunch reported he told investors he believed people without AI glasses would be disadvantaged.
He said: “I continue to think that glasses are basically going to be the ideal form factor for AI, because you can let an AI see what you see throughout the day, hear what you hear, [and] talk to you.”
He added: “I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI — or some way to interact with AI — I think you’re … probably [going to] be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people.”
Zuckerberg also discussed the evolution of displays and other features the company could add.
“This is … what we’ve been maxing out with Reality Labs over the last 5 to 10 years – basically doing the research on all these different things,” he said.
Meta reported that Reality Labs suffered an operating loss of $4.53 billion in the second quarter.
The division has reportedly lost nearly $70 million in total since 2020.
Zuckerberg also outlined how glasses could merge the physical and digital worlds.
“The other thing that’s awesome about glasses is they are going to be the ideal way to blend the physical and digital worlds together.
“So the whole Metaverse vision, I think, is going to … end up being extremely important, too, and AI is going to accelerate that.”