is reportedly in talks with eyewear major
EssilorLuxottica
about bringing its
Gemini AI assistant
to its next-gen smart glasses. According to a report by The Verge, this move suggests that the tech giant’s departure from its previous strategy of building its own Extended Reality (XR) hardware.
If finalised, the partnership would see Google’s AI capabilities integrated into products from the company behind popular eyewear brands including Ray-Ban, Oakley and LensCrafters.
This would be a significant step for Google in the smart glasses market, where it has been largely absent as a hardware manufacturer.
How this partnership may affect Meta
The potential collaboration comes amid growing competition in the XR space. Facebook-parent Meta, which already partners with EssilorLuxottica for its Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, has recently expressed interest in taking a minority stake in the eyewear company, the report adds. This move can be seen as a defensive measure against potential rivals like Google.
While specifics of Google’s proposed smart glasses remain scarce, the initial device would likely focus on core functionalities such as voice interaction, audio output, and image capture. This approach aligns with Google’s previous demonstrations of its Project Astra, which showcased similar capabilities.
Google’s partnership with Magic Leap
Meanwhile, Google is also deepening its collaboration with Magic Leap. Beyond
AR optics
and manufacturing, the two companies are jointly working on a developer headset based on the Magic Leap 2 platform. This device will run
Android XR
and is expected to serve as a crucial tool for developers to build apps for future AR experiences.
While these developments underscore Google’s growing interest in the XR ecosystem, the company’s hardware strategy remains unclear. While partnerships with established players like EssilorLuxottica and Magic Leap offer a strategic advantage, Google's ability to compete with more hardware-focused rivals like Apple and Meta will depend on its ability to deliver software and services, the report notes.
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