Meta Ray-Ban glasses may soon identify faces using AI

A new report indicates the Meta Ray-Ban companion app is capable of face recognition and is designed to identify users from images and videos taken on its paired smart glasses.

The report comes courtesy of WIRED, which did a deep dive into the Meta AI app to uncover a buried, unreleased AI feature called “Name Tag.” The feature is able to recognize faces captured on Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, process them, and alert users when familiar faces are present.

The report states that Name Tag has been in ongoing construction over a period of several recent updates this year, sometime after Meta announced the new display variant. Meta AI acts as the companion app and connects device functions to the glasses. That gives the glasses necessary access to the internet and, further, Meta AI’s backend processing.

The glasses can’t be used without the app, which means the face recognition feature is already embedded into just about any device connected to a pair of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses. It appears Meta stores recognized facial data on user devices after faceprints are pulled from the company’s servers.

WIRED’s report notes that Meta claimed it was “thinking through” the prospect of a facial recognition feature back in April. Following the updates where Name Tag’s foundation was laid, that feature seems to date back to as early as January. In theory, if users hadn’t updated the Meta AI app since then, Name Tag may still be embedded.

Meta Ray-Ban’s Name Tag works by converting faces into biometric data using three AI models, so far. One detects the person’s face, another model repositions the image, and the last converts that face into usable biometric data. This information is based on Name Tag’s code in its current form.

Again, it’s not an operational feature, though Meta claims such a feature would be announced with “full transparency.”

Nothing has shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made on what to do here, if anything. If we do decide to roll something out, we will take a thoughtful approach and do so with full transparency. One decision we can be clear about—we are not building a central face database.

Meta isn’t the only company taking up face time, as Google prepares its own Android XR glasses built by Samsung. There’s no word on whether facial recognition is a prospect, but flagship glasses from Google will have cameras and microphones built in. Like Meta, they’ll be built to offer a more natural AI interface.

Meta Ray-Ban glasses may soon recognize faces with AI

Meta is reportedly testing unreleased facial recognition technology for its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and companion app, internally referred to as “Name Tag” and “Connections”

. Core components of the AI system—including models to detect, crop, and convert captured faces into biometric data—were discovered by researchers in software already pushed to millions of users’ smartphones. [1, 2]

If Meta ultimately decides to activate and release the technology, it would function with the following framework:

How the “Name Tag” System Works

On-Device Matching: Unlike older cloud-based photo tagging systems, the newly discovered framework is designed to pull faceprints to the user’s phone. When a person is captured by the glasses’ camera, the AI models detect the face and attempt to match it with a biometric signature stored locally on your device. [1, 2]
Real-Time Alerts: If the AI identifies a familiar person, the system can trigger a notification on the wearer’s device. [1, 2]
Potential Applications: While Meta previously explored using the tech to help visually impaired users recognize friends, internal documents suggest the company is exploring integrations with public Instagram profiles and social media networks. [1, 2]

The Privacy Controversy

Surveillance Concerns: Privacy advocates and digital rights organizations (including the ACLU and EFF) have pushed back, warning that real-time face recognition could effectively strip people of public anonymity and normalize constant, distributed surveillance. [1, 2]
Meta’s Stance: In response to the reports, Meta stated that the discovered code represents early internal experimentation and that the feature has not been rolled out to consumers. The company has also emphasized that no final decisions have been made and that it is not building a centralized facial database. [1, 2]

Meta’s smart glasses have been a massive success, but navigating consumer trust remains a delicate balance. If you are interested in this space, I can provide: [1]

Details on the current AI and translation features already live on Meta glasses.
A look at the privacy and capture indicators (like the LED light) currently required on the device. [1, 2]

Let me know what you’d like to explore further.