[On the Scene] "My Eyes Have Been Extended with AI"... Gemini Comes to Gentle Monster Glasses

Real-time interpretation in more than 70 languages
Users can communicate with AI agents in real time
AI moves beyond smartphones and into everyday life

"I'll read your future with tarot cards."

On November 9 (local time), I sat across from a Japanese tarot reader at the “Intelligent Eyewear” AI smart glasses experience space on Wall Street in Manhattan, New York. The reader began explaining tarot cards and astrology in Japanese.

Photo of the "Intelligent Eyewear" AI smart glasses experience space on Wall Street in Manhattan, New York, taken with Gentle Monster sunglasses. Photo by Hwang Yunju, correspondent, New York, U.S.

I didn't know Japanese, but I had no trouble understanding the tarot reading or keeping up the conversation. Google's generative AI, Gemini, translated the Japanese in real time and delivered it through the Gentle Monster glasses I was wearing.

There was no need to take out my smartphone and open a translation app, or interrupt the other person and ask them to wait. The tarot reading unfolded in Japanese before my eyes, while a Korean translation came through my ears. Just by wearing a pair of glasses, the barrier to conversation with a foreigner had been lowered.

A Gentle Monster employee explained, "The Korean translation can't be heard by people nearby, so you can have a natural conversation. The camera identifies the person you're speaking with based on where the user is looking and translates the conversation." The glasses can translate 70 languages.

Shopping with ease at an international grocery store...and finding wines to suit my taste

The smart glasses overcame not only language barriers but also the limits of what the wearer could see. In an experience space stocked with groceries from around the world, sauces and ingredients labeled in foreign languages were on display. Looking at a Thai sauce I had never seen before, I asked, "What kind of sauce is this? What do you eat it with?" Gemini replied, "This is rose jam," and explained the product and a recipe.

This means shoppers can buy the ingredients they want in an unfamiliar foreign supermarket, even if they can't read the language on the products. There was no need to take out a smartphone: I could simply look at a product while wearing the glasses and ask a question, and the AI answered immediately.

Visitors can try smart glasses from Gentle Monster, Samsung, and Google in a space designed to resemble international grocery stores. Gentle Monster

The wine display also offered personalized recommendations. When I said, "I'm looking for a Sauvignon Blanc, but I'd like a wine with a Tafi-style taste rather than Kim Crawford," Gemini recommended a suitable wine from among those on display.

It didn't stop at making a recommendation. When I said I couldn't find the product, it gave directions based on items in view, such as, "The third bottle from the left, to the left of the sake labeled in Japanese." Rather than simply displaying information in a search window, the AI connected it to an action in the real world.

I looked at a map and said, "I want to travel to Puerto Rico," and the travel costs were saved to my notes

In an area explaining the Seven Wonders of the World, I experienced the AI working like a personal assistant. Looking at the Bermuda Triangle marked on a map and nearby Puerto Rico, I asked, "This is close to New York. Is it somewhere I could travel to?" The AI gave me a minimum itinerary and estimated costs.

It also recommended when to book to get cheaper airfares. Then, when I asked, "Save this information to my Galaxy Note," it went on to save the travel plan in the Notes app.

Look at a map, then tap the glasses and ask about travel costs and itinerary. Gemini will find the information and create a travel plan. You can save it to Samsung Galaxy Note or Google Calendar. Gentle Monster

A Samsung Electronics representative said, "Because the glasses are linked to the user's Galaxy phone, information can be saved to Google Calendar or Samsung Calendar by default." The representative explained that settings are required to link the glasses to Gmail as well.

A question prompted by a map in front of me led to a travel plan and saved information. It was a glimpse of the potential of AI agents, which go beyond simply answering questions like chatbots and carry out tasks in response to users' instructions.

Launching simultaneously in Korea and the U.S. on December 10

The Intelligent Eyewear unveiled this time was developed through a collaboration among Google, Samsung Electronics, and Gentle Monster. It combines Samsung Electronics' hardware technology and Gentle Monster's eyewear design with Google's generative AI, Gemini.

The glasses are designed to look much like ordinary eyewear. They weigh about 41 grams, and the frames are equipped with a camera, microphone, speakers, and other components. Users can activate Gemini by touching the frame with a finger or by voice.

When the camera mounted on the glasses recognizes what the user is looking at, Gemini analyzes the scene and responds. The answer is delivered through speakers positioned near the ears. Unlike augmented reality (AR) glasses that project images onto the lenses, these glasses interact with AI primarily through voice.

The product will be available in a range of designs, including eyeglasses and sunglasses. It is scheduled for official release in Korea and the U.S. on December 10, with domestic prices ranging from 650,000 to 700,000 won depending on the model.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.