Meta Expands AI Access on Ray-Ban Smart Glasses in Europe

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a speech, as a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses appear on screen, during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US, September 27, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a speech, as a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses appear on screen, during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US, September 27, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
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Meta Expands AI Access on Ray-Ban Smart Glasses in Europe

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a speech, as a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses appear on screen, during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US, September 27, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a speech, as a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses appear on screen, during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US, September 27, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

Meta Platforms said on Wednesday it is expanding access to its artificial intelligence assistant, Meta AI, on Ray-Ban smart glasses to seven additional European countries.

People in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland will now be able to interact with Meta AI using voice prompts to get answers to general questions, the Facebook and Instagram parent said.

Meta launched its AI technology in Europe in March, a rollout that was initially announced in June last year but was delayed following regulatory concerns on data protection and privacy.

While Meta AI was launched in the US in 2023, its release in Europe faced several hurdles due to the European Union's stringent privacy and transparency rules, Reuters reported.

Sprucing up its wearable technology with AI capabilities could help Meta attract new users at a time when the company is investing billions of dollars in bolstering its AI infrastructure.

Meta said the expansion will also include a live translation feature, which is being broadly rolled out in its markets.

It will be releasing a feature, where people can ask Meta AI about the things they are looking at and get real-time responses, in supported countries in the EU starting next week.

The company updated Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses with AI video capability and real-time language translation functionality in December 2024.

Meta had first announced the features during its annual Connect conference in September last year.



TikTok Says to Increase Investment in Britain

Around half the UK population, more than 30 million people, use TikTok each month. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Around half the UK population, more than 30 million people, use TikTok each month. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
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TikTok Says to Increase Investment in Britain

Around half the UK population, more than 30 million people, use TikTok each month. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Around half the UK population, more than 30 million people, use TikTok each month. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

TikTok plans to raise its investment in the UK, its biggest community in Europe, with the creation of 500 more jobs, the Chinese-owned social media giant announced Monday.

The news coincided with the start of London's Tech Week, which sees British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcoming some of sector's biggest firms.

"TikTok's UK workforce will grow to 3,000 this year with the addition of more than 500 jobs," the company said in a statement.

It added that it was investing in a new London office, set to open next year, and whose size will dwarf its current UK head office.

It will take TikTok's investment in UK infrastructure to around £140 million ($190 million), the group said.

Around half the UK population, more than 30 million people, use TikTok each month, making it the platform's "largest user-community in Europe", the statement added.

"Whether through direct investment in jobs and innovation, or the wider economic contribution from millions of British businesses on TikTok, we're pleased to be increasing our investment and presence here in the UK," said Adam Presser, director of TikTok UK and global head of operations and trust and safety.

TikTok has been in the crosshairs of Western governments for years over fears personal data could be used by China for espionage or propaganda purposes.

"What underpins our continued growth is our deep commitment to safety and to creating an enjoyable and secure digital space to sustainably support creators, entrepreneurs and the wider economy, which is why we also invest significantly in safety," Presser added Monday.