Meta Is Reportedly Testing An AI Pendant
Maybe this won’t be
the kind of pendant that makes the hot trends lists.
Or, perhaps, it will
be. Consider the opportunities for jewelry designers to capitalize on Meta’s
potentially successful wearable artificial intelligence (AI) pendant—jewelers
have done the same with the Apple Watch, as well as the Oura ring.
The operative word
here is potential. With reports that Meta is looking for more ways to make
money from its AI developments, plans to start testing an AI pendant would aid
in its quest to expand its selection of wearables, in addition to an expansion
of it AI glasses.
In an internal memo
obtained by The Information, Meta vice president of wearables Alex Himel says
the strategy is in part to drive more use of Meta’s AI models and products such
as subscription versions of its apps and a consumer AI agent it’s developing
called Hatch.
Meta has reportedly
set an ambitious goal of selling 10 million wearable devices in the second half
of this year; while its smart glasses have seen stronger early adoption, it’s
now burning through money, with Meta’s Reality Labs unit reportedly racking up
more than $4 billion in operating losses in it latest quarter on revenue of
just $402 million.
While the internal
memo doesn’t offer any specifics on the planned AI pendant, it does say the
company plans to start internal testing next spring.
It should be noted
that this is not the first time a company has attempted success with an AI
necklace. In August 2024, JCK reported on the introduction of the Friend
pendant—an idea that appears to have been more successful as a conversation
starter than as an actual product. With concerns centering on privacy and
utility—as well as the fear of the loss of human connection—there are no
reports or evidence to show that this launch was in any way successful.
Still, that hasn’t
stopped other companies from trying to make it happen, and who’s to say it
won’t? There was skepticism that no one would want an Apple Watch at the time
of its introduction as well, and it’s become a wildly successful product. But
an AI pendant? That feels like an ever harder sell.
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