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Google Just Made AR Glasses Cool Again

Google Just Made AR Glasses Cool Again

Gemini-powered glasses hint at a thrilling, tangible near-future for AR

Cosmo Scharf
April 22, 2025

Hey everyone, it’s Cosmo.

Is AI the key to successful AR glasses? Google certainly believes so. This week at TED, they showcased their Gemini-powered AR glasses, featuring a camera, microphone, speakers, and a tiny monocular display. It genuinely feels like the next-gen Google Glass we've always dreamed of.

The demo from Shahram Izadi, Google's Android XR lead, and Product Manager Nishtha Bhatia was impressive, highlighting some standout moments:

Translation: Nishtha effortlessly translates a Spanish sign into multiple languages just by looking at it.
Contextual Memory: Without prior instruction, Gemini accurately recalls the location of her hotel keycard.
Multimodal: Gemini seamlessly answers questions about diagrams in a book Nishtha is viewing.

These features underline a crucial insight: AR glasses are only as useful as the AI powering them. The recent boom in powerful LLMs and their integration into AR makes clear that AI's success directly impacts AR's success.

However, this also raises important questions about vendor lock-in. Today, we can freely choose our preferred LLM. But as AI becomes deeply integrated into XR operating systems, will we retain that choice? Will Gemini be the only LLM on Google devices? And what will Apple do?

Google’s TED showcase invites reflection on the broader industry:

Meta: Currently leading in smart glasses with their non-AR Ray-Bans. Their preview of Orion sets a high benchmark for full AR glasses. By tackling long-standing challenges like field of view and input, Meta's Orion could redefine AR. The big question now: when will Orion hit the market, and at what cost?

Apple: After reportedly shelving AR glasses plans pre-Vision Pro, Apple has apparently renewed efforts, driven by competition from Meta’s Orion. AR glasses are a natural evolution of the iPhone, and despite their recent stumble with Apple Intelligence, betting against Apple rarely pays off.

Snap: The Spectacles ‘24 are genuine standalone holographic AR glasses and currently the most advanced pair publicly available. Though rough around the edges and burdened by poor battery life, they effectively showcase AR's vast potential.

We're finally at a moment where AR glasses no longer seem like distant sci-fi fantasies but instead feel tangibly close, almost within reach. I can't wait!