Google Reveals AI Glasses That See, Listen and Respond in Real Time

Google Offers First Real-Time Look at Android XR Glasses

At a TED2025 conference, Google’s Shahram Izadi gave a live demo of the Google’s AI-powered smart glasses, which run on the Android XR platform for the very first time.

The demo, presented by Nishtha Bhatia, showed the glasses’ ability to interact with users in real time.

It understands what people see, responds to your voice, and carry out tasks without the need to pull out a phone.

The glasses, powered by Gemini, Google’s new AI assistant, can recognize objects, interpret surroundings, and even remember things people might not have focused on earlier.

AI Glasses Remembers What You Weren’t Even Focused On

During the demo, Bhatia tested the glasses by asking Gemini if it had noticed the title of a white book sitting on the shelf behind her.

Gemini instantly replied with the correct title, identifying the book as Atomic Habits by James Clear.

This showed the glasses’ ability to remember details from moments earlier, even if the wearer didn’t actively focus on them.

On top of that, Bhatia also tried out the glasses’ ability to translate text, play music just by recognizing an album cover, and explain a diagram from a book while flipping through the pages quickly.

Impressively, it got everything right.

According to 9to5Google, Google had given an early look at this feature through Project Astra, which is now available on smartphones.

What is Project Astra?

According to Google DeepMind, Project Astra is a research prototype designed to build a helpful AI assistant that can see, listen, and respond in real time.

It uses something called ‘multimodal AI’, which means it can understand both what’s being said and what’s being seen at the same time.

Misplaced Your Item? The Glasses Got You

To further test the glasses’ abilities, she then asked if it knew where she last left her hotel key card. Gemini answered, correctly yet again, “The hotel key card is to the right of the music record.”

This proved that the glasses are able to track and recall the position of everyday objects, which is something many users may find genuinely helpful especially in busy or unfamiliar environments.

Directions Through the Lens, No Phone Needed

Bhatia then asked the glasses to “navigate me to a park nearby with views of the ocean.”

In response, Gemini provided precise directions, along with a floating 3D map shown directly through the lens.

The glasses are designed to be discreet. Unlike bulky and noticeable items attached to part of your face, the lenses are clear and subtle, with a small display in the corner that doesn’t block the view or attract too much attention.

Real-Time Help Could Raise Privacy Concerns

While the glasses have some pretty amazing features, they also raise privacy concerns.

With cameras and microphones, it captures what people see and hear, even remembering things when they are not focused on them.

This raise questions about consent and how personal data is handled. As the technology develops, many will likely want reassurance that their privacy is being kept safe.

Featured images courtesy of YouTube video and Yanko Design.

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Misplace your things often? These AI glasses could help. In this live demo at TED2025, computer scientist Shahram Izadi debuts Google’s prototype smart glasses, powered by the new android XR system — which uses AI to see and think in real time. Visit the 🔗 in ☣️ to see more of what these wearables can do — from summarizing your favorite book to planning your next trip. #TEDTalk #XR #AI #SmartGlasses #Google #Android

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