# Burning Man hot topic: How to deal with AI glasses on the playa

> Source: <https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/26/burning-man-ai-glasses/>
> Published: 2026-08-26 15:27:57+00:00

**Getting your**

[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...In the run-up to this year’s [Burning Man](https://www.mercurynews.com/tag/burning-man/), the event’s official guide has been tweaked to make clear that wearers of AI glasses can’t record video without the permission of everyone in view.

“Before using any device — including cellphones, cameras, or smart eyewear — you must ask and receive permission from anyone who may appear in your frame, whether they are the main subject or in the background,” says the [survival guide](https://survival.burningman.org/culture/temple/) for the 2026 event, Aug. 31-Sept. 7 in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

It has long been the policy at Burning Man that participants can’t take photos or video of other people without their consent.

On the [Burning Man subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/BurningMan/comments/1vpkxl3/how_do_we_ban_meta_glasses_at_bm/), suggestions for dealing with wearers of Meta glasses and similar devices ranged from education (“Did you know you have to ask permission?”) to public shaming (“‘Perv glasses’ with a megaphone”) and into more confrontational tactics.

In recent years, Burning Man has drawn about 70,000 people to the playa 100 miles north of Reno. [Tickets](https://here.burningman.org/event/burning-man-2026-101620geauokkq5uxsrjs49z4piob1n4qh?_gl=1*ltkwho*_ga*MTk3ODI2MTk1NS4xNzg3NzU0NjE0*_ga_411YJ8ZFDE*czE3ODc3NTQ2MTQkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODc3NTc0OTAkajU0JGwwJGgw*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3ODc3NTU0MDMuQ2owS0NRanduYnJVQmhET0FSSXNBS0toUHBkRUdFcXJQQWhqSGM4ZU1LXzd2ekpBVmxnQzBmTmkxeFhFd3pJOVVKaWhoY3JfQWVjcks0a2FBZ1hwRUFMd193Y0I.*_ga_FWW1ZLL84X*czE3ODc3NTQ2MTQkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODc3NTc0OTEkajUzJGwwJGgw) are still available on the event’s website, for $675 and up.

[The recent wildfires](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/08/24/map-hawk-fire-evacuation-reno/) in Washoe County have not affected the immediate area of Black Rock Desert, but those traveling to the event have been asked to [be mindful of the fires’ impact](https://www.facebook.com/burningman/posts/pfbid027m8CBDT84MLyQNdjaT79WbbrLbwSrvJauz1Z2xFkCdSe36Ngw3G34E33exYzn5v8l) on Reno’s infrastructure and its residents.