Meta Lets Smart Glasses Users Opt Out of AI Training Data

Meta is giving smart glasses users the ability to prevent the company from using visual information captured by their devices for artificial intelligence training purposes. The opt-out setting has begun rolling out through the Meta AI app and is accessible directly within the glasses' settings menu.

Users will see a notification in the Meta AI app explaining the change. The message indicates that while the glasses can perform tasks like translating menus and identifying plants, owners can now decline to share the visual data generated by these features with Meta for product development. According to the company, any data that users opt out of sharing will not be retained after the initial processing.

To change the setting, users must navigate to their glasses settings, select the Meta AI section, and locate the option to store visual data from AI experiences. The glasses need to be removed from their case and connected to a smartphone to modify this preference. Those with multiple pairs of glasses will need to adjust the setting individually for each device.

Meta cautions that disabling this setting may limit access to certain functionality. Visual reminders—a feature that lets users point at an object and request a reminder to purchase it later—will no longer work if the setting is turned off. The company has not specified whether other features would be affected by this change.

In accompanying documentation, Meta provided details about how it handles visual information collected through the glasses. The company stated that visual data from AI experiences may be used to develop new features and improve existing products, including through both automated and manual human review processes. However, Meta clarified that visual data does not encompass photos and videos users intentionally capture when the device's capture LED indicator is active. The distinction suggests that only data generated during active use of AI features on the glasses falls under the company's training practices.