{"slug": "awe-2026-live-smart-glasses-are-bringing-ai-to-our-faces", "title": "AWE 2026 Live: Smart Glasses Are Bringing AI to Our Faces", "summary": "The Augmented World Expo (AWE) 2026 in Long Beach, California, will showcase the latest smart glasses integrating AI, with major players like Meta, Google, Snap, and Apple advancing their offerings. The event highlights the rapid disruption of AI in wearables, though development of meaningful apps for these devices remains a challenge.", "body_md": "# AWE 2026 Live: Smart Glasses Are Bringing AI to Our Faces\n\nAugmented World Expo this week will give us the best look yet at the state of the art in high-tech eyewear.\n\nAI is wildly disrupting the world at large, and tech more specifically, and one manifestation of that is the advent of new devices like [smart glasses](/tech/computing/best-smart-glasses/). I've been covering the emergence of wearables, virtual reality and augmented reality for over 15 years, but the current moment is more in flux than any I've witnessed.\n\nThis week, I'll be in Long Beach, California, for [AWE 2026](https://www.awexr.com/usa-2026), the biggest AR/VR-focused conference of the year. I'll be seeing and reporting on what's new and how AI is taking up residence in what a lot of companies hope will be everyday eyewear for all of us.\n\n[Meta](/tech/computing/metas-revamped-ray-ban-gen-2-glasses-are-worth-it-just-for-the-battery-boost/) already has tons of smart glasses, [Google](/tech/mobile/google-io-2026-smart-glasses-gemini-project-aura-samsung-i-wore-them/) is releasing a wave of its own later this year, and [Snap](/tech/computing/snap-is-spinning-out-its-specs-ar-glasses-business/), a maker of smart glasses for years before Meta, has a pair of augmented reality Spectacles planned for 2026 as well. Apple's new infusion of [Siri AI](/tech/services-and-software/siri-ai-wwdc-2026/) into all its devices, announced last week at [WWDC](https://www.cnet.com/news-live/wwdc-2026-apple-live-news-updates/) -- where I got an in-depth look at how Siri works -- [hints at smart glasses](/tech/computing/hey-siri-youre-the-framework-for-apples-smart-glasses-now/) that could arrive next year. It's a lot to keep track of.\n\nVR's still got things going on, too. Apple is [evolving its Vision Pro software](/tech/computing/apple-vision-pro-siri-visionos-27-visual-intelligence/), Bytedance-owned Pico has a high-end [mixed-reality headset](/tech/computing/bytedances-upcoming-project-swan-vr-headset-wants-to-be-the-computer-metas-isnt-yet/) on its way, and Valve's standalone [Steam Frame](/tech/gaming/i-tried-valves-steam-frame-machine-and-controller-coming-in-2026-steam-os-is-coming-for-your-face-and-tv/) should arrive this summer. Google and Xreal are pushing into new territory with the VR-like, glasses-sized [Project Aura](/tech/computing/googles-putting-it-all-on-glasses-next-year-my-demos-with-project-aura-and-more/), also expected this year.\n\nAll this in the middle of inflation and [soaring electronics prices](/tech/services-and-software/what-is-ramageddon-why-ai-is-making-laptops-and-phones-more-expensive/).\n\nAt AWE, I'll be asking questions and exploring what's happening while Google, Meta and Apple keep advancing in the space, and peeking around the corner at chips, displays and sensors (and experiences) that could show us where wearables are heading next.\n\n*Editors' note:** Scott Stein's travel costs for the AWE conference were covered by Snap. **The judgments and opinions of CNET are our own**.*\n\n## What sorts of apps should be made for glasses?\n\nThere are so many smart glasses being made by so many companies right now, but so little good thought being put into how to develop for them. That's partly because many of them rely on AI as their primary \"app,\" serving up information or fulfilling requests on demand.\n\nThere should be better ideas, though, especially with [Google's Android XR](/tech/mobile/google-glasses-android-xr-mwc-2026/) promising to extend apps to Google's glasses, new smart glasses like [Even Realities' G2](/tech/services-and-software/these-sleek-smart-glasses-get-so-much-right-why-am-i-so-disappointed/) that have a growing ecosystem of mini apps for their monochrome displays, Snap's roster of augmented reality lens developers and Meta opening up app development for its display-enabled [Ray-Bans](/tech/mobile/meta-ray-bans-6-months-later-the-best-ai-companion-happens-to-be-camera-glasses/).\n\nI'll be [speaking at a panel about immersive storytelling](https://www.awexr.com/usa-2026/agenda/2016-how-to-design-memorable-xr-experiences-through-sto) at AWE, thinking about how to solve some of these questions. I'm curious to find out for myself.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/awe-2026-live-smart-glasses-are-bringing-ai-to-our-faces", "canonical_source": "https://www.cnet.com/news-live/awe-2026-smart-glasses-augmented-reality-live-coverage/", "published_at": "2026-06-15 17:36:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-15 19:42:22.619935+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-products", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["Meta", "Google", "Snap", "Apple", "AWE 2026", "Ray-Ban", "Project Aura", "Android XR"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/awe-2026-live-smart-glasses-are-bringing-ai-to-our-faces", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/awe-2026-live-smart-glasses-are-bringing-ai-to-our-faces.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/awe-2026-live-smart-glasses-are-bringing-ai-to-our-faces.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/awe-2026-live-smart-glasses-are-bringing-ai-to-our-faces.jsonld"}}