At the Connect conference, Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated Meta’s new AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses featuring real-time translation by conversing with former UFC champion Brandon Moreno, who spoke in Spanish while Zuckerberg responded in English, showcasing the technology’s ability to break down language barriers.
Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a well-known fan of UFC. He’s also a frequent practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
So, when it came time to show off some new tech at the annual Connect conference, who better to call than former flyweight champ Brandon Moreno? Naturally, Moreno was game.
On Wednesday, Moreno posted a video of his appearance with Zuckerberg. The billionaire MMA enthusiast unveiled some slick new tech coming to Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses.
Part of the update includes real-time AI-powered software. Users can speak different languages, and translations will come through a speaker in the glasses. Pretty wild, huh?
For the demo, Moreno spoke in Spanish. It was translated into English for Zuckerberg, who asked about Moreno’s knee injury recovery after tearing his ACL in training.
Zuckerberg then responded in English. That was translated back into Spanish for Moreno. Smooth as butter!
“What a crazy experience today,” Moreno wrote on Instagram. “I had the chance to try the new updates from the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses live translation with Mark Zuckerberg at Connect 2024.”
Meta described the update like this: Soon, your glasses will translate speech in real-time. If you’re talking to someone speaking Spanish, French, or Italian, you’ll hear it in English through the glasses’ open-ear speakers.
Not only great for traveling but also breaking down language barriers. Bringing people closer together. They plan to add more languages in the future.
Meta didn’t say exactly when this software update would drop. But TechCrunch called it the “holy grail” for established hardware firms and startups alike.
For now, at least, Moreno got a sneak peek at how it works from his chat with Zuckerberg at Connect 2024.