Sneaky Peek: Halo X smart glasses record conversations without consent, raising privacy concerns

Harvard dropouts AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio have unveiled Halo X, AI-powered smart glasses that continuously record and transcribe every conversation while providing real-time AI insights to users. The device has sparked widespread backlash on social media, with critics condemning it as a dystopian surveillance tool that threatens privacy and could further erode critical thinking skills.

What makes this controversial: Unlike Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, the Halo X deliberately omits visual indicators that would alert others when they’re being recorded.

• Co-founder Nguyen told Futurism their core difference is “we aim to literally record everything in your life, and we think that will unlock just way more power to the AI to help you on a hybrid personal level.”
• The glasses promise “infinite memory” capabilities, allowing users to ask questions like “who did I talk to on Friday?” while claiming to make wearers “super intelligent” through constant AI assistance.

Legal and ethical concerns: The creators lack clear solutions for compliance with two-party consent laws that require permission before recording conversations.

• When asked about these legal requirements, co-founder Ardayfio said getting consent is “ultimately just up to the user.”
• The duo previously sparked controversy by modifying Meta glasses with facial recognition to identify strangers and pull up personal information like addresses and employers without consent.

What critics are saying: Privacy advocates and tech observers have responded with horror and mockery to the concept.

• “Have you ever read a description of the panopticon, a theoretical prison where one guard can see every prisoner at all times, and thought, man, I’d love to wear that on my face?” wrote editor Mary Gillis on Bluesky.
• Privacy lawyer Whitney Merill stated bluntly: “People don’t want this. Wanting this is not normal. It’s weird.”
• Writer JJ Skolnik sarcastically called them “the surveillance glasses that make [your] brain worse.”

The bigger picture: The glasses represent a troubling intersection of surveillance technology and AI dependency, with experts questioning both the technical feasibility and societal implications.

• Growing research suggests that relying on AI models can lead to atrophied critical thinking skills, contradicting the creators’ claims about enhanced intelligence.
• Technical questions remain about how the small device could maintain constant cloud connectivity to AI models like Google’s Gemini and Perplexity without rapidly draining battery power.
• The product may ultimately join the ranks of tech industry vaporware, given the ambitious promises and unclear implementation details.