Why Consumer Trust Will Determine The Future Of AI Wearables

At CES in January, I am moderating a panel on the future of spatial AI computing, focusing on VR headsets, smart glasses, and AI wearables. As I research this topic for the panel, I keep coming back to a significant obstacle to mainstream acceptance, particularly for AI wearables. That obstacle is trust.

For years, I’ve followed the development of personal technology, watching products succeed or fail not just because of their technical capabilities, but because of how comfortable consumers feel bringing them into their daily lives. AI wearables are now facing the same test.

Reports that Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses recorded conversations even when users hadn’t activated the assistant highlight how fragile consumer trust can be.

The following are four questions I believe the industry must address.

How do we draw the line between helpful automation and overstepping?

The line is consent. A wearable that provides reminders or records a conversation with a user’s permission is helping them. A wearable that records, saves, or processes information without clear user consent is overstepping, regardless of intent.

I believe companies developing these products should design for explicit opt-ins and clear signals when a device is recording.

These devices go on people’s faces and in their ears. They demand a level of respect for personal boundaries that goes beyond what users expect from a phone in a pocket.

How can AI learn about our lives without creating an extensive record of everything we do?

The answer is to process and store less, not more. The idea that more data produces better AI dominates the industry. Yet a wearable doesn’t need a permanent record of a user’s day to serve that user’s needs.

I would expect the industry to focus on processing information on the device, retaining only what is relevant, and letting users review and delete what is stored.