Source | SourceSight

Tech giants are bending over backwards to dream up killer use cases for AI smart glasses—yet they still can't outsmart the flashes of ingenuity from naturally gifted players.

Recently, media reported that the Public Security Traffic Management Bureau of a sub-bureau in Chengdu, Sichuan, investigated a "high-tech" exam fraud case. A man attempted to use AI glasses, smart rings, and other devices to help answer questions remotely during a motor vehicle driver's theory exam—only to be caught by on-site officers who noticed his suspicious behavior.

What was truly unexpected, however, was that when police later asked the man to demonstrate how the device worked, the actual answer accuracy rate turned out to be abysmally low. The so-called "guaranteed pass gadget" not only produced multiple answers with glaring errors, but its responses to the multiple-choice section were completely wrong. In other words, even if the man had somehow made it through the theory exam, the final result would almost certainly have been a fail.

This clumsy buyer's-remorse experience stands in sharp contrast to the "intelligent cheat" image the industry had previously built up for AI glasses.

01

Cheating Gadget?

From a technical standpoint, the operational process of using AI glasses for exam cheating is becoming increasingly simple.

Since the beginning of this year, the AI glasses industry has accelerated into the display era. Their built-in high-definition cameras can photograph exam questions and, via a "glasses—phone, eSIM—cloud" link, transmit images to remote large models for inference. The generated answers then travel back along the opposite path and are displayed on the glasses' screen.

Because these new AI glasses generally adopt an optical technology called "optical waveguide," the display image is only projected toward the wearer's eyes from a specific angle. So in theory, students can complete their cheating answers without being noticed by the outside world.

Image from the internet

To boost their products' selling points, many AI glasses manufacturers have even built native tutoring and photo-based question-search functions right into their devices. Users can invoke multiple large models to help answer questions—which, conveniently enough, also provides an opening for people with ulterior motives.

Not only that, but users can also pre-set a shortcut command—such as double-finger long-pressing the touchpad or directly pressing the interaction button—and input shortcut commands like "Help me photograph and identify the exam questions in front of me, and directly give the answers without analyzing the process." After completing the initial setup, candidates only need to make the corresponding gesture during the exam, and the AI glasses will enter question-solving mode.

With the accompanying smart ring, the cheating efficiency of AI glasses can be further enhanced. By sliding, clicking, rotating, or lightly moving fingertips on the ring, or using other custom gestures, different functions such as turning off the glasses screen, solving questions, and turning pages can be triggered—providing cheating candidates with more room to maneuver in response to different exam-room situations.

The abundance of native, trace-free interaction functions has made AI glasses seem like high-tech cheating artifacts treading on the edge of the rules.

On social platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Weibo, many people post discussions about the actual experience of answering questions with AI glasses. On e-commerce platforms, many netizens also ask questions such as "Can AI glasses be used to cheat?" and "Will wearing AI glasses into an exam room be detected?" Since the beginning of this year, many domestic universities have successively reported news that some candidates attempted to use AI glasses to cheat but failed.

In key exam rooms such as the high school entrance examination and college entrance examination, AI glasses have long been included in the "cheating device blacklist." On June 2, the Ministry of Education issued a clear warning that no matter the reason, and whether or not they are actually used, bringing mobile phones, smart watches/bands, smart glasses, etc. into the exam room constitutes cheating. In addition, at least 10 provinces including Guangdong, Shanghai, and Fujian immediately required that glasses worn by candidates must be removed under video surveillance and handed over to invigilators for special inspection.

02

A Useless Product?

Since the beginning of this year, AI glasses have successively become embroiled in multiple usage controversies such as exam cheating and illegal covert photography—which also reflects the current awkward industry phenomenon from the side.

In the promotional language of leading manufacturers, AI glasses are endowed with the imaginative space of being the next-generation interaction entrance. However, functions billed as native Agent-level capabilities—such as photography, translation, navigation, AI office work, and schedule management—have not brought a broader market to AI glasses. They are not only difficult to turn into phenomenal essential scenarios, but also fundamentally fail to drive wearing time and user retention.

Data released by RUNTO Technology in August this year shows that the overall return rate of smart glasses through online channels is between 30% and 70%, far exceeding mature categories such as mobile phones and tablets. This shows that many consumers, after buying to try something new, have not found the core paid value point of this product.

Screenshot from Xiaohongshu

In May this year, Li Hongwei, CEO of RayNeo, pointed out that over the past two years, the industry has launched more than 200 new AI functions, but long-term user usage is less than 6%. The remaining 94% of users still remain at the most basic functions such as asking about the weather, stocks, and news.

What is even more awkward is that media visits to Huaqiangbei channels found that screenless audio-camera glasses that can currently satisfy the above basic functions have a wholesale price starting as low as 50 yuan, and are deeply welcomed by foreign trade and cross-border e-commerce. In contrast, new products from current leading brands, often priced at more than 2,000 yuan, are still suffering from questions such as "IQ tax" and "useless product."

03

Rushing into Offline Channels

However, from the capital side, with the narrative of being the next-generation human-machine interaction entrance, AI glasses remain a hot track in current AI consumer hardware.

According to incomplete statistics from RUNTO Technology, in the first half of 2026, there were at least 64 financing, merger and acquisition, and strategic investment events in the global AI glasses industry chain, with a disclosed total amount of about 9 billion yuan. By comparison, last year there were about 36 global financing events in the AI glasses track for the whole year, with an estimated total of about 4.367 billion yuan, of which domestic industry-chain companies received more than 20 rounds of financing.

In addition, data from Tianyancha shows that since the beginning of this year, three companies in the domestic AI glasses track have raised single-round financing amounts to 1 billion yuan. Among them, RayNeo's D-round financing in January exceeded 1 billion yuan, Yiwon Technology's Pre-B-round financing in July was 150 million US dollars (about 1.001 billion yuan), and INMO announced in September the completion of nearly 1 billion yuan in C+ round financing.

At the same time, some brands are accelerating the layout of offline channels, attempting to accelerate consumer market education by entering high-end shopping malls.

Data shows that Rokid's global offline experience channels have exceeded 1,200. Last year, the brand successively entered mainstream shopping centers such as Wuhan Wushang Dream Times, Guangzhou Grandview Mall, Shanghai Livat, and Chengdu MixC.

Screenshot from Xiaohongshu

In October, the first Qwen store in South China officially opened at Guangzhou White Swan Pond MixC, showcasing multiple Agent hardware products such as N1, N1 Pro, and AI earphones on site, attracting consumers of all ages to experience and pay attention.

It is worth noting that compared with wearable devices such as earphones and smart watches, which have annual shipment volumes in the hundreds of millions, AI glasses currently still belong to a niche market in the millions. Beneath the seemingly fierce "battle of a hundred glasses" and capital hype, the industry still has a long way to go before the expected "iPhone moment."

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