The Spectacle(s) of Intelligence

Smart glasses are on track to become the next dominant computing platform, seamlessly blending digital intelligence into our physical world. Powered by large language models and real-time sensory data, these devices promise capabilities like live translation, AR navigation, and personalized AI assistance. They collect multimodal data—audio, visual, geolocation—creating a continuous “life-stream” that fuels highly adaptive, memory-augmented AI companions. The market is diverging into centralized “walled gardens” (Meta, Apple), open platforms (Google, Xreal), and decentralized models (Mentra, Rayvo) that prioritize user control and data sovereignty through Web3 technologies.

Key Observations

Smart glasses will redefine human-computer interaction by embedding AI into everyday perception and tasks.
The ecosystem is splitting between centralized platforms and decentralized, privacy-focused alternatives that empower users.

Why It Matters?

Industries dependent on mobile platforms must adapt their products for AR/AI wearables or risk obsolescence. By offering AI-powered smart glasses with user-controlled data flows, firms can differentiate from centralized incumbents and create immersive AR/XR experiences for education, productivity and entertainment.