It's why Apple is putting cameras in everything
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As Apple reportedly doubles its efforts to bring in a trifecta of AI wearables, its anticipated smart glasses are at the forefront to take on Meta Ray-Bans. And it already has just the feature to do so: Visual Intelligence.
The rumored Apple AI Glasses will rely on the company's visual AI to "see" the world, as pointed out by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Part of Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence can look at objects, read text and get information about them. And it's fittingly gearing up to be heavily integrated into Apple's first take on smart specs. The headline of Gurman's piece calls this Apple's "next big thing."
Visual Intelligence is surely set to power Apple's next era of AI devices, and it's looking like we'll see it in action in AI smart glasses first. If this is the case, it will be the first big stepping stone to take on the best smart glasses on the market today — catching up to the likes of the latest Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
- I just tried the future of smart glasses — and they blow away the Meta Ray-Ban Display
- I've been wearing the Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses for 24 hours — here's what I like (and hate)
- Samsung just confirmed its Android XR smart glasses will launch this year — here’s how they can beat Ray-Ban Meta
What is Apple Visual Intelligence?
Apple's Visual Intelligence is an AI feature that lets users analyze the on-screen content and the world around them through the camera. It can recognize objects and offer information about them, answer questions about what it sees, allow real-time translation, instant web searches and more.
It was first introduced on the iPhone 16 Pro, and is available from the iPhone 15 Pro and up. It relies on OpenAI's ChatGPT for results, and it's become a quick way to find out details on anything you take a picture of.
Essentially, it's Apple's version of Google Lens, and it makes sense that this Apple Intelligence feature would come to the Cupertino tech giant's rumored smart glasses. Interestingly, though, it's looking to be the main feature powering the specs.
Visual Intelligence takes the lead
During Apple's earnings call, Gurman notes that CEO Tim Cook heavily hinted at his interest in Visual Intelligence, which is a clear sign that there's more to come from the feature:
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“One of our most popular features is Visual Intelligence, which helps users learn and do more than ever with the content on their iPhone screen, making it faster to search, take action and answer questions across their apps,” Cook stated.
With word of Apple's potential AI wearables all fitted with cameras, including an AI pendant and AI AirPods, it makes sense that Apple would utilize a technology it's already using. And it's also set to improve.
According to the report, Apple is working on its own AI visual models, which could coincide with the eventual release of Siri 2.0 in 2026. These would take full advantage of the expected built-in cameras in the smart glasses, which are tipped to be used to snap photos and record video.
- I just tried the future of smart glasses — and they blow away the Meta Ray-Ban Display
- I've been wearing the Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses for 24 hours — here's what I like (and hate)
- Samsung just confirmed its Android XR smart glasses will launch this year — here’s how they can beat Ray-Ban Meta
However, rumor has it that there will be a high-resolution camera in the Apple AI smart glasses for pictures and video, along with one dedicated to Visual Intelligence.
If Apple does make Visual Intelligence on its smart specs a priority, it would be interesting to see what other features it could offer in a new form factor that isn't an iPhone.
With the tools that Apple's Visual Intelligence offers on smart glasses, this still wouldn't be a bold new feature coming to specs, as Meta already has its own form of visual AI onboard.
