Meta adding AI ‘vision’ to its VR goggles to analyze what you’re seeing and report back – it even tells you how to dress
META is bringing its artificial intelligence “vision” tech to the company’s virtual reality goggles.
The Meta AI assistant is going to arrive on Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Quest headsets later this year.
Meta AI is an AI helper that you can talk to.
It’s already available in the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which have a built-in camera so that the AI can “see”.
And now it’s coming to the Meta Quest 3, a mixed-reality headset that lets you see virtual worlds – or overlay your real space with computer-generated imagery.
You’ll be able to ask the Meta AI questions out loud, and the headset will use built-in cameras to answer based on what you’re looking at.
It can tell you about landmarks, or even help you get dressed.
Meta explains: “Let’s say you’re watching YouTube videos of some breathtaking hikes in mixed reality while packing for your upcoming trip to Joshua Tree.
“You can ask Meta AI for advice on how to best dress for the summer weather.
“Or you could hold up a pair of shorts and say, ‘Look and tell me what kind of top would complete this outfit.’
“You can get the forecast so you can prep for the weather ahead and even ask for local restaurant recommendations to indulge your inner foodie.”
The good news is that you can’t look at people in the street to find out personal information about them.
It’s designed more as a guide to help you make decisions – or learn about the world around you.
Meta says that the feature will begin rolling out in “experimental mode” next month.
And the company promises that the experience will improve over time as more people test it.
The changes are limited to users in the US and Canada only.
And it’s not available on all Meta Quest headsets.
For instance, the Meta Quest 3 is getting the upgrade but the Meta Quest 2 is not.
As part of the update, the existing Voice Commands feature will be “deprecated” – although Meta hasn’t said exactly when this will happen.
Virtual Reality v.s. Augmented Reality – what's the difference?
Here's what you need to know...
- Virtual reality involves using a headset to simulate a virtual world
- In a VR world, everything you see will be computer-generated
- Popular VR headsets include the HTC Vive and Facebook’s Oculus Rift
- Augmented reality lets you see the real world, but “augments” (or adds on) computer-generated elements
- This means you’ll be able to see computer images overlaid onto your real-world view
- For instance, you could wear glasses that overlay directions onto the road in front of you
- Popular AR headsets include Microsoft’s HoloLens and the Google Glass spectacles
- Meanwhile, VR headsets include the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro
- Some headsets offer mixed reality, and can blend both experiences
Meta says that the update is going to be one of the next big advances in computing.
“AI has been a driving force of our consumer hardware since the beginning,” Meta explained.
“And recent innovation in generative AI has helped to accelerate key pieces of our vision for the next great wave of human-oriented computing.
“Large language models are enabling powerful virtual assistants that become even more useful when embedded within wearable devices like Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and, soon, Quest.
“And as the technology continues to advance, we’ll be able to make the experience better over time thanks to regular software updates.”