When Surveillance Becomes Wearable: Governing AI-Enabled Smart Glasses

AI-enabled smart glasses with always-on cameras and AI-assisted recording capabilities challenge contemporary privacy frameworks, particularly where individuals are incidentally or deliberately recorded in public spaces. Although privacy law is strengthening their protections, they were not designed for ambient surveillance conducted by individuals using wearable AI devices. Drawing on socio-technical and privacy theory, this study examines how AI-enabled smart glasses challenge foundational assumptions underlying privacy governance and design interventions that can address emerging issues.