Meta’s Vision for AI Glasses Aims to Leapfrog Apple’s Dominance
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has declared that the future of personal technology will not live in your pocket—but on your face. In a bold new manifesto reported by The Wall Street Journal, Zuckerberg outlines a vision where artificial-intelligence glasses replace the smartphone as the world’s “most useful” device.
The strategy centers around what Zuckerberg calls “personal superintelligence”—an AI system that sees, hears, and advises the user continuously, all through a pair of everyday glasses. The goal is to create a seamless digital companion that makes smartphones obsolete.
Meta’s first steps toward that future are already in consumers’ hands. The company’s Ray-Ban Meta glasses allow users to take photos and answer calls via voice command while paired with a smartphone. But future models, executives told the Journal, will break that tether. Later versions will feature built-in displays and run full AI assistants on-device, eliminating the need for a phone entirely.
The vision has ignited a talent arms race across Silicon Valley. Meta is offering unprecedented compensation packages to lure top AI researchers, hoping to dominate in both chip design and large-language model development. Meanwhile, rivals are quietly plotting their own moves.
Amazon confirmed last week that it is acquiring Bee, a niche startup focused on wearable AI. OpenAI’s Sam Altman has teamed up with former Apple design chief Jony Ive on a secretive project they believe could directly challenge the iPhone’s dominance.
Apple, for now, appears unmoved. CEO Tim Cook told the Journal he expects the iPhone to “remain central to people’s lives,” even as new complementary technologies emerge.
But Zuckerberg sees Apple’s slower AI progress as Meta’s opportunity to break through. With artificial intelligence advancing at an accelerating pace, Meta believes it can reshape the personal tech landscape—and rewrite the rules of computing—before Apple has a chance to catch up.
