Meta plans facial recognition for smart glasses as early as this year

Meta intends to introduce facial recognition to its smart glasses as early as this year, according to a New York Times report.

The feature, internally called “Name Tag,” would enable users to identify individuals and access information about them via Meta’s AI assistant. However, plans may still change, as the company has been weighing the safety and privacy implications since early last year.

An internal memo revealed that Meta initially aimed to test Name Tag at a conference for the visually impaired before a wider launch, but this plan was not executed.

The company reportedly viewed the current political climate in the U.S. as an opportune moment to introduce the feature. “We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns,” the memo states.

Meta previously considered adding facial recognition to its Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2021 but abandoned the idea due to technical and ethical concerns.

The NYT reports that the company has revisited its plans amid growing ties between the Trump administration and Big Tech, along with the unexpected success of its smart glasses product line.