Lorde says AI glasses are 'not sexy'

Pop star Lorde delivered a sharp critique of AI glasses while performing at the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid last week. She told the audience that it's increasingly hard to know what is real, as people might be wearing sunglasses or those 'fucked up' AI glasses, which many security experts consider a privacy nightmare. 'Increasingly in our world, it gets harder and harder to know what is real,' Lorde said. 'You don’t know if someone is wearing sunglasses, or if they’re wearing those f–ed up, f–ing [AI glasses]. Can I just say, for the record, f— the glasses. Don’t get the glasses. Not sexy.'

Lorde, who has previously written about throwing her phone into the ocean, took her opposition to the next level. Her comments may have been prompted by the fact that Ray-Ban, a festival sponsor, partners with Meta to produce AI glasses. Additionally, Lorde performed just before singer Jennie, who is an ambassador for Ray-Ban x Meta's smart glasses line.

Lorde is not alone in raising concerns. Smart glasses with cameras and AI features have been used as tools for harassment and extortion. Meta, the leading smart glasses maker, says it takes privacy seriously and has safeguards like a visible recording light, but the company faces multiple investigations and lawsuits alleging privacy violations. One lawsuit claims that Kenyan contract workers were forced to watch graphic videos obtained with the glasses to help train Meta's AI. (Meta has not publicly responded to that specific claim.)

Despite the concerns, sales remain strong. EssilorLuxottica, the maker of Ray-Ban, reported selling more than 7 million Meta AI glasses in 2025 — more than triple the roughly 2 million units sold in 2023 and 2024 combined. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have been so successful that Meta continues to expand the lineup. But if privacy doesn't make people think twice, perhaps vanity will: Lorde concisely declared they are simply 'not sexy.' The here and now, she added, 'is sexy.'