If there's a body part that can wear AI, there's a 'good chance' Meta has tried to develop it, CTO says

• Meta's Reality Labs is exploring all kinds of wearable AI tech, CTO Andrew Bosworth says.
• Its projects include camera earbuds and mixed-reality goggles.
• Reality Labs, known for VR and AR, has also faced budget cuts and layoffs.

The rapid advancement of wearable technology is making it easier to accessorize with incorporate AI.

At Meta, chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth says the company sees few limits on how the technology can be worn on the body.

"If there's a part of your body that could potentially host a wearable that could do AI, there's a good chance we've had a team run that down," he told Command Line, a tech newsletter.

Bosworth oversees Reality Labs, the division of Meta that produces virtual reality and augmented reality hardware and software. Last month, it unveiled Orion, its newest pair of augmented reality glasses that let users experience augmented reality with the comfort of (almost) normal-size glasses. Bosworth once described it as "the most advanced piece of technology on the planet in its domain."

The division, which has earned a reputation for hemorrhaging money, has implemented cost-cutting measures in the past year. Its hardware teams have been asked to cut spending by nearly 20% from 2024 into 2026. Over the past year, it's also conducted layoffs, largely targeting middle and senior managers.

But the cuts haven't stopped Reality Labs from dabbling in new ideas. Behind the scenes, Reality Labs has many projects, from camera earbuds to mixed reality goggles. "If there's a concept that you could imagine, we either have had or do have somebody building a thing around it," Bosworth told Command Line.

Reality Labs uses a step-by-step process to develop products from concept to release, Bosworth said. It begins with a pre-discovery team that prototypes new ideas, which are then reviewed to select a few for further exploration. After prototyping, successful concepts enter the company's product road map, and about half of those make it through final testing to be released to the public.

The camera earbuds are in an early stage of development, while a pair of "steampunk" mixed reality goggles have advanced to the product release process, Command Line reported.

"We definitely don't want to be outflanked by someone who came up with some clever, integrated wearable that we hadn't thought about," Bosworth said.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.