Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Wearables
  3. News

This stylish Meta Ray-Ban rival just put Gemini and ChatGPT on your face

Rokid Glasses now let you switch between AI models including Google Gemini and ChatGPT in a free update.

Add as a preferred source on Google
Accessories, Glasses, Blonde
A visitor tries out Rokid Glasses at the company's booth during CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. [Photo/Rokid] Rokid

The Ray-Ban Meta glasses lock you into one AI. A new rival just said no thanks. Rokid released a software update for the international version of its Rokid Glasses that adds native support for Google Gemini while keeping ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Alibaba’s Qwen in the mix.

That makes Rokid the first manufacturer to let you toggle between four leading large language models on a single device. It’s a free over-the-air update for existing pairs, not a new product launch.

Four AI models, one pair of glasses

The update builds AI brains directly into the device-to-cloud architecture. You can switch between systems depending on the task. Maybe Gemini handles quick translations best while ChatGPT is better for brainstorming creative work. The platform also supports multimodal interactions and real-time translation tuned to regional language needs.

Rokid sees this as more than a routine software bump. It’s a strategic play for global expansion. By bridging US options like Gemini and ChatGPT with Chinese offerings like DeepSeek and Qwen, the company knocks down technical barriers across different countries and linguistic contexts. The result is a localized AI experience that adapts to where you are.

Why choice matters in the AI glasses race

This open approach puts Rokid in direct contrast with Meta. The company behind Ray-Ban Meta glasses keeps things closed, binding its hardware exclusively to its own Llama models. Rokid argues that strategy takes away your ability to pick the right tool for the moment.

Sales data backs up the momentum. Figures from Shangpu Group tracking AI glasses with displays from November 2024 to October 2025 show Rokid Glasses ranking number one in global sales for the category. The device also crushed crowdfunding records, topping Kickstarter charts for smart glasses and becoming the fastest glasses product to pass 100 million Japanese Yen on Japan’s MAKUAKA platform. People are buying them, and now those buyers get this upgrade for free.

What to watch next

The company points to a bigger narrative taking shape. Chinese tech players are moving toward openness, with DeepSeek’s open-source release as one example. For Rokid, integrating Western and Chinese AI is about offering what it calls a Chinese solution to the world. Rokid’s bet is that you want choice, even if that means juggling multiple AI ecosystems at once.

Recommended Videos

If you already own the international version of the Rokid Glasses, the update is live now. No new hardware needed. For everyone else, this sets a new bar. The freedom to pick your AI could become the feature that defines the next generation of smart glasses.

Paulo Vargas
Paulo Vargas is an English major turned reporter turned technical writer, with a career that has always circled back to…
Apple’s camera AirPods may literally tell you when your hair is in the way
From hair alerts to secure pairing, here's what else Apple is cooking up for AirPods Pro 4.
AirPods Pro 3 lights on

Just today, we covered news of AirPods Pro with a built-in camera, spotted through a demo video hidden inside the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate. Now, new leaks from that very same build are confirming two more details about how these AirPods will actually function.

What happens if your hair covers the camera?

Read more
Apple just accidentally revealed its camera-equipped AirPods
Your AirPods might soon see what you see. Here's what the leaked demo reveals.
Man demoing airpods camera

Apple is quietly getting closer to launching camera-equipped AirPods, and the proof just turned up in a place nobody expected: a demo video tucked inside the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate. MacRumors dug up the clip, and it's the clearest look yet at how these AirPods might actually work.

What can the camera actually do?

Read more
Meta’s facial recognition smart glasses idea just resurfaced in a patent
Months of backlash haven’t stopped Meta’s facial recognition push
Face, Head, Person

Meta has spent much of this year trying to calm concerns about facial recognition coming to its smart glasses. But the company doesn’t look ready to give up on the idea, and a newly public patent application shows just how seriously Meta has continued exploring the technology.

First reported by Patentlyze, the application was filed by Meta in February and describes using AI-powered facial recognition alongside smart glasses to identify people and use information associated with them when creating media.

Read more