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TECH EYE OCTOBER 09, 2026 | The Indian Eye 40

TECH EYE

Meta Unveils $1,299 VR Glasses

and AI-Powered Muse Charm

eta has unveiled a new and work.
pair of virtual-reality glass- Meta also introduced Muse
Mes priced at $1,299 and a Charm, a compact device designed
keychain-sized device called Muse to provide access to the company’s
Charm, expanding CEO Mark Zuck- Muse artificial-intelligence agent
erberg’s push to integrate artificial without requiring a phone or an app.
intelligence into wearable technolo- The device is expected to ship in
gy. The products were announced at December, although Meta has not
Meta’s annual Connect conference in announced a price. Muse can assist
Menlo Park, California. with tasks such as planning, reser-
The Meta VR Glasses are de- vations, shopping and email, while
signed to bring virtual-reality experi- Meta plans to bring the agent to its
ences into a lighter, glasses-like form. smart glasses in the coming months.
Weighing about 100 grams, the device The announcements underline
shifts much of its computing, battery Meta’s expanding focus on wearable
and storage hardware to an external computing and personal AI. Zuck-
puck that can be attached to a pock- cro-OLED display and use eye device can function as a virtual cine- erberg has said the company expects
et, belt or bag. The glasses are sched- tracking, hand gestures and voice ma, gaming system and multi-screen wearable devices to become an in-
uled to go on sale in spring 2027. commands instead of traditional workstation, with users able to create creasingly important way for people
The glasses feature a 5K mi- handheld controllers. Meta said the virtual displays for entertainment to interact with technology.

Bill Gates Calls for Google Tests Direct Flipkart

Mandatory AI Safeguards Shopping Through AI

icrosoft co-founder Bill could cause “a billion deaths.” oogle has begun testing a more useful throughout the online
Gates has called for man- The technology pioneer said feature in India that allows shopping journey. In April, Google
Mdatory safeguards and gov- mandatory monitoring would add Gselect users to buy prod- introduced enhanced shopping fea-
ernment oversight of artificial intelli- some costs and administrative re- ucts from Walmart-owned Flip- tures in India that allow users to dis-
gence, saying it would be “completely quirements for AI companies but kart directly through Google’s cover products, compare prices, view
irresponsible” to allow powerful AI would not necessarily bring devel- Gemini chatbot and AI Mode in reviews and check inventory through
systems to operate without moni- opment to a halt. He suggested that Search, marking a move toward in- Gemini and AI Mode.
toring. Gates warned that misuse by systems could include mechanisms to tegrating online transactions into Google has also been develop-
people with harmful intentions could identify whether AI was being used AI-powered shopping experiences. ing its Universal Commerce Protocol
create risks on a scale not previously for activities such as cyberattacks or Under the limited test, selected (UCP), an open standard intended to
seen. biological threats. Flipkart product listings displayed in enable AI agents to interact with re-
Gates said governments and law Gates’ comments come amid a Gemini and AI Mode carry a “Buy” tailers across different stages of shop-
enforcement agencies should be in- wider debate in the United States button. Tapping the option takes users ping, including checkout. The Flipkart
volved in deciding what safeguards and internationally over how gov- to a Flipkart-branded checkout flow experiment, however, appears to use
AI companies must implement. He ernments should respond to rapidly without requiring them to leave the a Flipkart-branded checkout rather
argued that relying solely on volun- advancing AI technology. Leaders AI interface. The trial currently cov- than the Google-hosted checkout ex-
tary industry self-regulation would of several major AI companies have ers a small group of users and prod- perience demonstrated earlier. Flip-
not be sufficient and called for leg- also discussed the need for safe- ucts, including smartphones, electron- kart was among the merchants Google
islation requiring monitoring of AI guards and oversight, although there ics and mobile accessories. identified as a partner for its agentic
systems. are differences over how extensive Users who are not part of the shopping initiatives in India. Google
Gates said the immediate con- regulation should be. experiment continue to see Flipkart also has a financial relationship with
cern was not simply the speed at Gates, who co-founded Micro- products in Google’s AI-powered the e-commerce company, having in-
which AI is being developed, but soft in 1975, has increasingly spoken shopping results, but without the di- vested about $350 million in Flipkart as
the possibility of malicious actors publicly about the opportunities and rect purchase option. Google is re- part of a funding round led by Walmart.
using increasingly capable systems risks posed by AI. His latest remarks portedly planning a broader rollout The test comes as AI compa-
for harmful purposes, including cy- add to growing calls for governments, of the feature in October, ahead of nies increasingly seek to move from
berattacks, bioterrorism and large- technology companies and interna- India’s festive shopping season. product recommendations toward
scale financial fraud. He said AI was tional institutions to establish clearer The development is part of a wid- enabling consumers to complete pur-
powerful enough to drive events that safety standards for the technology. er push by Google to make its AI tools chases through AI platforms.

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