n 2026, you'll be able to use AI to navigate Disneyland in California in some pretty interesting ways using Meta smart glasses. But there's still a big question around whether consumers will be into it.
When the public thinks about AI today, it's still mostly asking chatbots the same questions they used to ask Google and texting each other silly photos generated by the latest AI imaging apps.
While businesses and professionals are slowly starting to put AI to work in more powerful ways, most consumers still need a lot of convincing that it will truly do something new and interesting for them.
The big tech companies are betting smart glasses will be the answer — or at least one of the answers — in 2026. Meta is, of course, the AI glasses leader with 73% market share. But Google, Samsung, Amazon, Apple, and others are expected to bring their own AI glasses to market by the end of 2026 or early 2027.
For now, the reality is that Meta's AI glasses still don't do much. They're not bad for listening to music and podcasts, taking POV photos and videos for social media, and a few quick, rudimentary AI searches. But not much more.
That's likely to change soon because Meta has finally given developers the ability to add third-party apps and software to its glasses. And Disney is one of the first big partners that has signed on.
At a developer session at Meta Connect, a short video clip showed how Disney Imagineers developed a variety of "in-the-moment experiences" that Meta smart glasses could soon deliver inside Disneyland. In the demo, Beeta from Disney walked through the theme park and showed the following experiences:
- Looks at a ride, asks what it is and how to ride it
- Asks where to get a gluten-free snack while walking through the park and gets a list of options nearby
- Looks at a souvenir hanging off someone's bag while walking and asks where to purchase one of those — gets the name of the souvenir and the shop to buy it
- Looks at a ride and asks what it is and if it's appropriate for a four-year-old to go on
- While walking, gets prompted that a ride nearby has a short wait time and offers to provide directions for how to get in line
- While walking, gets prompted that a Disney character is nearby and offers to give directions for how to get in line and meet them
While there's nothing earth-shaking there — it's basically an audio guide on your glasses — the most impressive part was where the AI prompted you instead of you having to prompt it. That's where it's starting to act more like an AI agent. And that's where I could see consumers started to find unique value in what AI could offer. The other big benefit could be staying immersed in the experience without having to pull out your phone to look up information.
Several other companies have stated that they intend to release apps and experiences for Meta's AI glasses:
When Google and Apple get into the AI glasses game, we can expect them to bring the Android and iOS ecosystems with them, potentially opening up many more AI-powered experiences for consumers.