Meta Launches Expanded Testing of Landmark Insights in Ray Ban Stories

Meta continues to refine its latest “multimodal” elements within its Ray Ban Stories glasses, with an expanded test of information on popular landmarks now available to those in the initial test pool for the new functionality.

As you can see in these examples, shared by Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, now, Ray Ban Stories users who’ve signed up for the beta program can ask the device to provide information on what they’re seeing for various popular sights.

Which could be a handy complement for the device, and could spark more interest and use case options, like for tourism providers and travel companies.

And that’s not all. As per Bosworth:

“Beyond the improvements we’re making on multimodal AI, we’re also regularly updating the overall hands-free experience, like adding voice commands to share your latest Meta AI interaction on WhatsApp, Messenger, and text, as well as sharing the last photo you took with a contact. And if you’re a podcast listener at 1.5x or greater speed, you’ll soon be able to configure Meta AI readouts to be slower or faster under voice settings.”

Meta also began testing an integrated AI chatbot within the device back in December, which enables the wearer to ask questions based on what the device cameras can “see,” and get generative AI responses, there and then.

It’s interesting to see the expanding use case for the device, which is not AR-enabled as yet, but is the precursor to Meta’s coming AR glasses.

Which we may get to see at some stage this year, with Meta recently claiming to have a working model for its AR glasses. It’s too expensive as yet for a full commercial release, but Meta’s reportedly planning to showcase its AR glasses later in the year, with a commercial launch planned for 2027.

Full AR glasses have long felt like a pipedream, while the actual functionality, and value, has been questioned. But the arrival of the Apple Vision Pro has changed perceptions around the potential on this front, with Meta now looking to latch onto that hype, and stake its claim as the leader in the AR race.

And it will be interesting to see what Meta has on this front. The current Ray Ban Stories are stylish and non-intrusive, unlike the massive Vision Pro headset, and if Meta can produce a similarly viable AR unit, that could be a big step into the next stage of digital connection.

We’re not there yet, but its Ray Ban Stories are an interesting precursor, which gets more interesting with every update.