For years, we imagined a future where technology would be right in front of our eyes.
That future may be getting closer.
Smart glasses are becoming one of the biggest battles in consumer technology, with Google and Meta taking very different approaches to what could become the next major wearable device.
Meta already has a head start with its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, combining cameras, microphones, speakers and AI in a product designed to look and feel more like regular eyewear. Google is now stepping back into the race with Android XR and Gemini-powered smart glasses, including both audio glasses and glasses that can display information directly in front of the wearer.
So, the big question is:
Who will win the AI glasses race — Google or Meta?
Meta: Making AI Part of Everyday Life
Meta’s approach has been relatively simple: make smart glasses feel like something people would actually want to wear.
Instead of looking like a futuristic gadget, its Ray-Ban partnership puts AI technology into a familiar form.
Users can interact with AI, take photos and videos, listen to audio and access information without constantly reaching for their phones.
That could be a major advantage.
Technology becomes much more useful when people don’t have to think about using it.
Meta is also continuing to invest heavily in smart glasses, with new products and developments expected throughout 2026.
Google: The AI Assistant You Can See and Hear
Google is taking a slightly different route.
Its Android XR platform is being built around Gemini, Google’s AI assistant.
Google has announced two broad types of intelligent eyewear: audio glasses that can provide spoken assistance and display glasses that can show information to the wearer. The idea is to give people useful information while keeping their hands free and their attention on the world around them.
Imagine walking through a new city and asking your glasses for directions.
Or visiting a store and asking about a product.
Or travelling abroad and getting help understanding another language.
The smartphone doesn’t disappear.
But it may become less necessary for some everyday tasks.
But Are Customers Ready?
This is where the competition becomes more interesting.
Technology can be impressive, but customers don’t automatically adopt something just because it is new.
They want to know:
Is it useful?
Is it comfortable?
Is it easy to use?
Is it worth the price?
And perhaps most importantly:
Can I trust it?
Privacy could become one of the biggest questions surrounding AI glasses because many models include cameras and microphones.
That concern is already becoming part of the conversation around smart glasses, with organisations and public spaces considering restrictions because of the possibility of recording people without their knowledge.
So the success of AI glasses may depend on more than technology.
It may depend on customer confidence.
And This Is Where Customer Experience Comes In
For brands, this technology could create an entirely new type of customer journey.
Think about a customer walking into a hotel wearing AI glasses.
They could ask for information without approaching reception.
A shopper could receive product information while looking at an item.
A traveller could use their glasses for directions, translation or assistance.
A visitor at a theme park could potentially interact with information without taking out their phone.
The possibilities are exciting.
But there is another side to the story.
What happens when the technology doesn’t work?
What if the information is incorrect?
What if the customer cannot understand how to use it?
What if an employee doesn’t know how to respond to a customer using AI glasses?
What if other customers feel uncomfortable being recorded?
These are not just technology questions.
They are customer experience questions.
The Role of Mystery Shopping Could Change Too
As customer journeys become more digital and connected, mystery shopping can evolve with them.
Today, a mystery shopper may evaluate a store visit, website, call, app experience or service interaction.
Tomorrow, the shopper could also evaluate how a brand performs when the customer is using AI-powered technology during that journey.
For example, a shopper could assess:
– How easily information can be accessed
– Whether staff understand new technology
– How the brand handles AI-assisted customer interactions
– Whether privacy expectations are respected
– How smoothly digital and physical experiences work together
– Whether the experience is genuinely helpful or simply complicated
This gives businesses another way to understand what their customers are actually experiencing.
What This Means for Shoppers
For mystery shoppers, technology like AI glasses could eventually become another tool for observing the customer journey.
Instead of simply asking, “Did the employee follow the process?”, shoppers may increasingly be looking at the bigger picture:
“What did the customer actually experience?”
That could include everything from the first digital interaction to the physical visit and the final purchase.
The role of the shopper is not disappearing.
It is becoming more valuable as customer journeys become more complex.
What This Means for Clients
For businesses, the lesson is simple:
New technology does not automatically create a better customer experience.
The real test is how customers experience it.
A brand may have the latest AI tools, smart devices and digital platforms, but if customers find them confusing, intrusive or difficult to use, the technology can become part of the problem.
This is where independent customer experience audits and mystery shopping can help.
At Incognito, we look beyond whether a process exists on paper. The focus is on how that process is actually experienced by the customer.
As technology changes the way people shop, travel, dine, stay and interact with brands, businesses will need to keep checking whether their customer experience is changing with them.
So, Who Will Win?
Google has Gemini, Android XR and a huge ecosystem of services.
Meta has an established smart-glasses presence, strong AI integration and a major eyewear partnership.
But perhaps the real winner won’t simply be the company with the most advanced technology.
It will be the company that makes people think:
“I actually want to wear this every day.”
And for businesses, there may be an even bigger question:
Are you ready for the customer experience that comes with it?
Because the future of customer experience may not always be happening on a phone or a screen.
Sometimes, it could be happening right in front of your eyes.
Incognito — Seeing the Customer Experience Differently.