MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Meta on Wednesday unveiled updates to the company’s virtual reality headset and Ray Ban smart glasses to improve its artificial intelligence Performance and the next generation of computing platforms beyond smartphones and computers.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg also unveiled Orion, a prototype he called “the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen.”

“The engineering challenges of making them are incredible,” Zuckerberg explained to a group of developers and journalists at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California. The holographic augmented reality glasses, for example, had to be glasses – not a clunky headset. They can’t have wires and have to weigh less than 100 grams, among other things. And in addition to interacting with your voice, typing or hand gestures, Orion features a “wrist-based neural interface” – it allows you to send a signal from your brain to the device using a wristband that translates nerve signals into digital commands.

There is no release date yet for Orion – Zuckerberg called it a “glimpse into the future.”

Zuckerberg, seemingly in his element in front of a cheering crowd, said Meta is working to “make the future accessible to everyone” with its headsets, glasses and AI systems. As part of an update to its Llama model, people can now interact with Meta AI by speaking, with voices from celebrities such as John Cena, Judi Dench and Awkwafina.

“We’re trying to build a future that’s more open, more accessible, more natural and more rooted in human connection,” Zuckerberg said. “This is a continuation of the values ​​and ideas we brought to the apps and technologies we built over Meta’s first 20 years.”

An AI update for influencers allows them to create AI versions of themselves – to interact with their fans. On the keynote stage, an AI version of the creator, Don Allen Stevenson III, appeared on the screen and answered a few questions, just like the real creator would. When Zuckerberg asked the AI ​​inventor about raising livestock, he replied, “My expertise is in technology and design, not farming.” An earlier version of this tool was text-only.

Other AI updates include live translation, which Zuckerberg demonstrated on stage. While wearing the smart glasses, Zuckerberg spoke in English to Mexican mixed martial arts fighter Brandon Moreno, who responded in Spanish – the conversation was translated in real time. Users can also dub their videos into another language to make it look like native speakers are speaking – and even adjust their lip movements accordingly.

Meta AI now has 500 million users, according to the company. Jeremy Goldman of market research firm Emarketer called the number “staggering.”

“Meta has transformed from a pure social media company to an AI powerhouse. Zuckerberg’s move to celebrity voices isn’t just for fun – it’s a direct challenge to OpenAI, with a focus on real-world utility,” Goldman said.

Meta, which introduced the Quest 3 last year, also showed a cheaper version of the VR headset – the 3S – which will cost $299. The regular Quest 3 costs $499. The S3 will begin shipping on October 15.

“Meta aggressively undercuts Apple’s Vision Pro to dominate the mid-range AR/VR market,” Goldman said. These VR headsets, which were released earlier this year after much anticipation, cost $3,500.

While VR glasses have grabbed more headlines, augmented reality Ray-Bans have proved a surprise hit for Meta. The company hasn’t disclosed sales figures, but Zuckerberg said during Meta’s earnings call in July that the glasses “continue to be a bigger hit than expected at a faster pace – thanks in part to AI.” Zuckerberg said Wednesday that Meta appears to have overcome supply issues that plagued the Ray-Bans a few months ago due to high demand.

“They’re kind of the perfect form factor for AI,” Zuckerberg said. The glasses, he added, let an AI assistant “see what you see, hear what you hear” and help you manage your daily life.

For example, you can ask the glasses to remind you where you parked or to shop for groceries, look at a pile of fruit and create a smoothie recipe, or help you choose a party outfit.

Meta – which rebranded itself from Facebook in 2021 – still makes almost all of its money from advertising. Last quarter, 98% of its over $39 billion in revenue came from ads. At the same time, the company is investing heavily in AI and what Zuckerberg sees as the next generation of computing platforms, such as VR headsets and AR glasses.

“VR headsets are not going to catch on, despite Meta’s claims,” ​​says Mike Proulx, director of research at Forrester. “They’re too cumbersome and people can only tolerate them for a short time.”

Glasses, on the other hand, “bring computing power directly into a common and familiar form factor. As the smart technology behind these glasses matures, they have the potential to transform how consumers interact with brands on a daily basis.”

Proulx said the Orion prototype “paves the way for a future where a revolutionary 3D computing platform is within reach and can actually be of use to the everyday consumer.”