Smart glasses have a public perception problem. People wearing Meta's popular Ray-Ban glasses have been labeled “Meta Creeps.” But it didn't start with Meta—when Google Glass launched in 2013, “Glasshole” was the word used to describe people wearing them.

It boils down to the fact that these smart glasses have cameras on them that let people record whatever’s in front of them with the push of a button. The cameras aren't easy to see, and while an indicator light activates when the glasses are recording, they're far less conspicuous than someone holding a smartphone up to record video or photos. It also doesn't help that people have tried to tamper with the LEDs and block them, and have recorded women without their consent.

But Google is on a mission to change the perception of smart glasses as socially intrusive tech. The first Android XR Intelligent Eyewear smart glasses—made in collaboration with Samsung, Warby Parker, and Gentle Monster—are now available for preorder, with sales kicking off on December 10. You can read about how they work and what they can do in this separate story.

But you might be more interested in how Google is trying to separate its glasses from Meta's optics and positioning them as the more privacy-minded option to assuage public concerns.

“There's this whole feature set of AI privacy that we think is super important,” says Juston Payne, Google's senior director of product management for XR. “Ultimately, what we're trying to do here is say: Look, these are choices.

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