NEW YORK, Aug 2: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes that those who don’t adopt AI-powered smart glasses in the coming years could find themselves at a major cognitive disadvantage. Speaking during Meta’s second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Zuckerberg said that wearing AI-enabled glasses may soon become as essential as wearing prescription lenses.

“I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI or some way to interact with AI, you’re probably going to be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people — whether you’re working with them or competing against them,” Zuckerberg stated.

The comments arrive as Meta pushes forward in the AI race, having established a “superintelligence” lab focused on advancing artificial intelligence. The lab is led by high-profile researchers, including AI prodigy Alexandr Wang. Zuckerberg’s remarks also followed a strong quarterly earnings report, in which Meta reported $47.5 billion in revenue and a 36% year-over-year increase in profit, reaching $18.3 billion.

Zuckerberg highlighted the growing popularity of the company’s Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses — priced at $299 — saying their appeal stems not only from their functionality but also from their fashion-forward design. According to eyewear partner EssilorLuxottica, sales of the smart glasses more than tripled compared to the same period last year.

He further emphasized that smart glasses would become the main interface for people to access AI and future “superintelligence.” Unlike traditional screens or voice assistants, AI glasses can integrate visual, auditory, and contextual information seamlessly throughout the day.

“These glasses will allow users to interact with AI in a multimodal way — seeing the environment, generating UI on the fly, and delivering helpful information instantly,” Zuckerberg explained. “That’s going to unlock a lot of value.”

Looking ahead, Meta plans to enhance the glasses’ capabilities by adding visual displays and introducing more immersive features. Zuckerberg said this evolution would help bridge the gap between physical and digital experiences — a vision closely tied to Meta’s long-term ambition of building the metaverse.

“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,” Zuckerberg said. “So the whole metaverse vision is going to end up being extremely important, too — and AI is going to accelerate that.”

Meta first launched its Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2021 and has since expanded the lineup to include Oakley-branded performance AI glasses aimed at athletes. According to reports, the company aims to release full-featured augmented reality (AR) glasses by 2027.

With AI and wearable tech becoming increasingly intertwined, Zuckerberg’s latest comments underscore Meta’s strategy to keep smart glasses at the forefront of next-generation computing.