(Bloomberg) — Baidu Inc. is set to unveil a pair of glasses with a built-in AI assistant, highlighting a Chinese rival to the Meta Ray-Bans that have proven rare success in AI-powered hardware.
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The Chinese search leader and longtime investor in artificial intelligence plans to showcase its product at its annual Baidu World event in Shanghai next week, according to a person familiar with the schedule. The gadget will have built-in cameras to capture photos and videos and support voice interactions built after Baidu’s Ernie Foundation, the person said, asking not to be named because the glasses are not yet public .
The push to monetize AI has been expressed in a series of hardware introductions this year, from the flop Humane Ai Pin to Microsoft Corp.’s better-received Copilot+ line of PCs. The Meta Platforms Inc. smart glasses, designed in collaboration with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica SA, are an older product that has increased in features, capabilities and popularity this year. Meta said demand had outpaced its ability to supply new units and EssilorLuxottica named them a product generating new sales.
Beijing-based Baidu is also working to capitalize on more than a decade of AI development, and its smart glasses will connect to a suite of products such as Baidu Maps and its online encyclopedia Baike. Sales of the product, which will likely cost less than Meta’s $299, could begin as early as early 2025, the source said.
A Baidu spokesperson did not respond to an emailed request.
The AI glasses were developed by Baidu’s hardware division, Xiaodu, which in 2020 raised funding from investors including IDG Capital worth $2.9 billion. Its key products include voice-activated speakers and wireless headphones that also connect to Baidu’s content ecosystem.
Despite a head start in China’s ChatGPT-inspired AI frenzy, Baidu has struggled to maintain its leadership. TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd.’s Doubao has become China’s most popular AI chatbot in recent months, pushing Ernie Bot down the rankings. Baidu executives also warned that displaying AI-generated results in the company’s core search area would have a short-term negative effect on advertising revenue.
A large number of Chinese hardware makers have already introduced AI glasses with cameras and open-ear audio, while others have focused on narrower features such as translation and orientation. Across the Pacific, Apple Inc. plans to enter the category with an internal review of products currently on the market, Bloomberg News reported.