The news: Meta will expand its AI hardware offerings to give Meta AI more utility and address losses in its Reality Labs division.

• In the next year, the company plans to start testing an AI pendant, per The Information, which could build off of its December acquisition of AI wearables startup Limitless.
• As soon as this month, Meta is expected to add to its AI smart glasses lineup with a version codenamed “Modelo.” Other glasses are slated for release or testing this fall.

Meta will also release “Wearables for Work,” a platform aimed at commercial customers that will let developers upload apps to its devices. This could give its devices a bigger swath of third-party apps and improve their chances of hitting mainstream adoption.

The bigger picture: A fuller lineup of AI devices could help make Meta AI a more ubiquitous part of consumers’ lives and deepen engagement with its services. It could also expand branded experiences on wearables and opportunities to surface AI features.

More AI-enabled touchpoints give advertisers new ways to reach users outside of Meta’s core apps, such as location-based promotions or AR try-ons of retail items. Over time, Meta could extend its ad business into emerging hardware categories rather than relying solely on its social app ecosystem.

Success in expanding its AI wearables would also give Meta a clearer path to monetizing its beleaguered Reality Labs division beyond VR and AR. More hardware options could also help Meta continue to compete in wearables as rivals like Google, OpenAI, and Apple explore new consumer tech avenues.

Zooming out: Tech companies are under pressure to prove how AI investments and development efforts will pay off. That could be supported by devices that offer practical applications such as meeting summaries, note taking, visual search, and personal recommendations based on conversations.

Standalone AI devices—like Humane’s Ai Pin, the Friend AI necklace, and the rabbit r1—haven’t always succeeded, though.

Implications for marketers: Meta will need to differentiate its products through assets like on-device personalization and practical utility to inspire adoption. Its increased AI integrations into wearables means marketers need to think beyond app- and screen-based experiences.

Prepare for new Meta advertising opportunities for product discovery, location-based recommendations, and sponsored interactions delivered through voice, visual search, and contextual prompts.

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