Meta Ray Ban Smart Glasses - Watching the Watchers.

Abstract

Smart glasses are emerging as consumer grade wearable technologies that integrate cameras, sensors, connectivity, and, in some cases, augmented reality displays into everyday eyewear. While these devices offer hands free, context aware interaction and potential benefits for users, they also raise concerns related to surveillance, privacy, and social acceptability. This study examines citizens’ attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) and smart glasses, with particular emphasis on perceptions of surveillance and intentions to adopt protective or privacy enhancing technologies. Drawing on two nationally representative Norwegian surveys conducted in 2020 with 1290 respondents and 2026 with 1086 respondents, the study analyses changes in general attitudes toward AI following the widespread adoption of tools such as ChatGPT, as well as public agreement with six AI related concerns identified by experts in the Pew Research Center’s AI100 project. In addition, the study investigates predictors of citizens’ intentions to use technologies that alert them when smart glasses are recording in their vicinity. The findings show that general attitudes toward AI have become more positive over time, especially among younger age groups. Nevertheless, a majority of respondents have concerns regarding the societal implications of AI, including threats to human agency, corporate data abuse, misinformation, and loss of control. Using binary logistic regression, the analysis identifies concerns about corporate data abuse and fake news and propaganda as significant predictors of intentions to use warning technologies, alongside demographic variables, overall attitudes toward AI, and individual characteristics associated with early technology adoption. Overall, the results highlight a persistent tension between growing acceptance of AI enabled technologies and sustained concerns about surveillance and privacy.

Keywords: Wearable Technology, Privacy-Enhancing Technology, Smart Glasses, Surveillance Technology, Privacy, Technology Adoption, National Study

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1008099