Meta's Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses have undergone a significant upgrade, incorporating new AI capabilities and memory retention features to enhance their practicality. At the 2024 Meta Connect conference, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg showcased the latest advancements in Ray-Ban Stories. He remarked, "We're starting to glimpse the future of computing and human connection, and it's incredibly exciting." Zuckerberg emphasized the overwhelming popularity of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which at times exceeded market demand.

The upgraded glasses can now remember what users see and remind them at appropriate times, such as alerting them to items on their shopping list. Zuckerberg explained, "If you go somewhere, you'll never forget where you parked your car again. Your glasses will remember and even remind you to buy avocados at the store."

Additionally, the glasses offer QR code scanning, real-time video assistance, and instant language translation between English, French, Italian, and Spanish.

Zuckerberg further noted, "We've also added multimodal video AI, allowing Meta AI to provide real-time assistance as you go about your day, like helping you choose an outfit for a party."

The new glasses also feature a range of new Transitions lenses provided by EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban's manufacturer. The Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer polarized lens version retails for $329, while the Transitions option costs $379. A limited-edition clear frame variant priced at $429 is also available for those who wish to showcase their tech-savvy style.

"They're also fashionable glasses," said Zuckerberg. "Most of the time, you're not using the smart features, and people want glasses that look good and are well-designed."

Existing Ray-Ban Meta glasses allow users to capture photos and videos, livestream on Instagram in real-time, and receive video calls. An LED light on the glasses blinks during recordings, alerting those around that they may be filmed. However, some users have found ways to cover the light for covert recordings, which Meta considers a violation of its terms of service.

In September last year, Meta announced the integration of Meta AI into its smart glasses for US customers, enabling them to access the virtual assistant AI via the "Hey Meta" command. Zuckerberg demonstrated this feature in an Instagram video, using AI to help him braid his daughter's hair.

Business Insider's Jordan Hart tested the smart glasses at the time and noted that the camera function resembled using a disposable camera, thanks to the LED flash. Photos appeared dim in low-light settings and blurry even in better-lit environments. Without an AR display on the lenses, images had to be viewed through the Meta View app on a smartphone.