Harvard Dropouts Launch AI Smart Glasses - Always-On Recording

New AI-Powered Smart Glasses Aim to Enhance User Intelligence

Two former students from Harvard University are preparing to launch a new line of AI-powered smart glasses. These glasses are designed to continuously listen, record, and transcribe conversations, subsequently presenting the wearer with pertinent information in real time.

The Core Concept: "Infinite Memory" and Enhanced Cognition

AnhPhu Nguyen, a co-founder of Halo – the startup behind this technology – explained their primary objective is to create eyewear that instantly elevates the user’s intelligence upon being worn.

Caine Ardayfio, his co-founder, described the glasses as providing users with what he termed “infinite memory.”

How the Glasses Function

The AI within the glasses actively monitors every conversation and leverages this information to suggest appropriate responses. Ardayfio likened the functionality to a real-life version of the “Cluely” application, which assists users in navigating challenging situations like job interviews or academic exams.

Should a conversational partner introduce a complex term or pose a difficult question – for example, “What is 37 cubed?” – the answer will be displayed directly on the glasses’ lenses.

Funding and Availability

The development of these glasses has been supported by $1 million in funding, spearheaded by Pillar VC, with additional contributions from Soma Capital, Village Global, and Morningside Venture.

The glasses are priced at $249 and will be available for preorder beginning Wednesday. Ardayfio characterizes the product as “the first real step towards vibe thinking.”

Previous Controversial Projects and Competitive Landscape

Nguyen and Ardayfio previously garnered attention for developing a facial-recognition application for Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. This project demonstrated the potential for the technology to be misused for doxxing individuals.

Ardayfio suggests that Meta, given its history of privacy concerns, may be compelled to restrict the functionality of its own smart glasses in ways that Halo can exploit.

Privacy Concerns and Data Security

Nguyen acknowledges that Meta’s past issues with user privacy create an opportunity for Halo to differentiate itself. However, he also concedes that gaining user trust will be crucial, particularly given the recording capabilities of the device.

While Meta’s glasses include a visual indicator when recording, the Halo X glasses, as they are called, will not feature such a warning mechanism.

“For the hardware we’re making, we want it to be discreet, like normal glasses,” Ardayfio stated, adding that the glasses record audio, transcribe it, and then immediately delete the audio file.

Expert Warnings Regarding Covert Recording

Privacy advocates have voiced concerns about the increasing normalization of covert recording devices. Eva Galperin, Director of Cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, commented on the issue.

“This sounds like a variation on the microphone spy pen,” Galperin explained. “But normalizing the use of an always-on recording device… eats away at the expectation of privacy we have for our conversations.”

Legal Considerations and User Responsibility

Several U.S. states have laws prohibiting covert recording without the consent of all parties involved. Ardayfio stated that Halo expects its users to adhere to these laws.

“We trust our users to get consent if they are in a two-party consent state,” he said.

Galperin also raised concerns about data storage and access, questioning where recorded data is kept, how it is secured, and who has permission to view it.

Data Handling and Security Measures

Halo utilizes Soniox for audio transcription, a company that claims not to store recordings. Nguyen asserted that the finished product will be end-to-end encrypted, though he did not provide specifics on how this encryption would function.

Halo is also pursuing SOC 2 compliance, which involves an independent audit to verify adequate customer data protection. However, a timeline for completing this compliance was not provided.

A History of Privacy-Focused Projects

Prior to this venture, Ardayfio and Nguyen developed I-XRAY, a demonstration project that added facial-recognition capabilities to Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, highlighting the ease with which such features could be integrated into devices not originally designed for identification.

The duo tested I-XRAY on unsuspecting individuals without their consent, and a demo video showcased the rapid identification of strangers and the display of their personal information.

Technical Specifications and Functionality

Currently, the Halo X glasses feature a display and microphone, but do not include a camera, although the addition of a camera is being considered for future models.

The glasses require a connection to a smartphone to process information and provide “real time info prompts and answers to questions.” The glasses outsource computing tasks to an accompanying app on the user’s phone due to limited onboard processing power.

AI Engine and Performance

The smart glasses leverage Google’s Gemini and Perplexity as their chatbot engines. Gemini is optimized for mathematical calculations and logical reasoning, while Perplexity is used to search the internet for information.

During a demonstration, the glasses were asked about the release date of the next season of “The Witcher.” The glasses responded, “’The Witcher’ season four will be released on Netflix in 2025, but there’s no exact date yet. Most sources expect it in the second half of 2025.”

Ardayfio acknowledged the possibility of inaccuracies in the response, stating, “I don’t know if that’s correct.”

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