Meta has once again denied that it has concrete plans about adding facial recognition elements into its AI glasses, as another report suggested that the company has been working with facial ID providers on a possible new feature to assist in user connection through the device.
According to a new report from Wired, Meta has been in talks with facial recognition software developer Rank One regarding a possible face ID element within Meta AI glasses.
Wired reported that Rank One’s board includes both a former CIA deputy director and a former FBI science chief. Through this connection the company could theoretically gain access to a whole new facial recognition network powered by Meta’s AI glasses and unleashed on an unwitting public.
Meta criticized Wired’s reporting, with Meta’s spokesperson Andy Stone saying on X that Wired had neglected to include the company’s statement.
As per Stone, that statement read: “What we’ve been saying for many months remains true and unchanged: we’re exploring these types of features as people regularly express interest in seeing them. Nothing has shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made on what to do here, if anything. If we do decide to roll something out, we will take a thoughtful approach and do so with full transparency.”
So Meta isn’t denying the accuracy of the reporting. The company also didn’t deny another recent report about its potential facial recognition feature addition.
However, Meta is saying that it hasn’t made any decision yet, and that any such move would be clearly and thoroughly communicated.
But it does feel like Meta is gradually working to ease potential opposition to an eventual implementation of facial identification in its wearable device.
Meta’s past forays into facial recognition have caused major PR issues in the past. The company was effectively forced to shut down its facial recognition processes on Facebook in 2021 after user backlash around the automated detection of faces in images, particularly via photo tagging.
More recently, Meta has slowly been reintroducing Face ID in new forms, with small, subtle updates.
Last year, Meta implemented facial recognition elements to combat impersonation, as well as to facilitate account recovery.
The implementation of facial recognition in its Meta AI glasses, meanwhile, was first reported by the New York Times in February, when the newspaper reported that Meta wanted to sneak through its facial recognition updates.
According to the NYT, an internal communication from within Meta explained: “We will launch [face ID on AI glasses] during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns.”
As such, Meta’s shock and disgust in response to these latest reports seems disingenuous, and appears more intended to water down any potential controversy by framing the reports as either untrue or misleading, without actually denying the substance of the reports.
But the foundation of these reports does seem to be correct. Meta is at least exploring the potential of adding facial recognition elements into its AI glasses.
Which is significant.
Meta sold 7 million pairs of its AI glasses in 2025, up from the two million that were already in circulation. And with interest in AI companions growing, that’s likely to see sales of the device continue to rise, which could put Meta in control of a massive surveillance network, if it does choose to eventually switch on facial recognition.
That story, despite Meta’s public protests, is very relevant.
