Lorde used her Real Cool Festival performance in Madrid to publicly criticize AI-powered smart glasses, likely targeting Ray-Ban's Meta collaboration that sponsors the event. The singer didn't name specific brands during her set, but the timing and context point directly at Ray-Ban's partnership with Meta on AI smartglasses.
Her comment framed the technology as aesthetically unappealing rather than engaging substantive privacy or safety concerns. The remark reflects broader cultural skepticism about wearable AI devices, particularly those with cameras and recording capabilities built into everyday accessories like eyewear.
Ray-Ban Meta glasses launched as a consumer product combining camera functionality with Meta's AI assistant, marketed for hands-free photography, video capture, and real-time information retrieval. The devices have generated ongoing debate about public recording, consent, and surveillance since their introduction.
Lorde's criticism adds a celebrity voice to consumer hesitation about the category. Musicians and performers have particular stakes in these conversations given the prevalence of unauthorized recording at live events. Smart glasses with cameras create a new vector for undisclosed filming that existing venue policies struggle to address.
The public rebuke of a festival sponsor during a live performance carries unusual weight. By speaking out against Ray-Ban Meta glasses while performing at an event they sponsor, Lorde signaled that brand association concerns take a back seat to her personal convictions about technology's role in culture.
Ray-Ban Meta glasses continue to generate mixed reception. The devices appeal to early adopters and Meta ecosystem users but haven't achieved mainstream adoption. Consumer reluctance stems from both functional limitations and cultural baggage around surveillance technology masquerading as fashion accessories.
Lorde's comment reflects a design challenge the industry faces. Smartglasses require visible form factors that announce their technological capabilities, making them inherently conspicuous. That visibility triggers social friction in ways less obvious devices don't. Her assessment that they