Lorde has entered the growing conversation around surveillance technology and artificial intelligence, taking aim at smart glasses during a performance at Madrid's Mad Cool Festival. The artist spoke against what she called "fucked up" AI glasses, referencing Meta's recent push into wearable technology.
The comments come weeks after Meta launched a high-profile advertising campaign featuring Kylie Jenner promoting the company's new AI-enabled glasses. The campaign, which soundtracked Ninajirachi's work, represents Big Tech's aggressive movement into everyday wearables that capture video and audio data from the wearer's perspective.
Lorde joins a widening chorus of skeptics concerned about the privacy and ethical implications of glasses that function as constant recording devices. The technology raises thorny questions about consent, surveillance capitalism, and who controls the data collected through these ubiquitous lenses. As smart glasses proliferate, musicians and cultural figures increasingly question whether convenience and innovation justify the privacy costs.
The artist's public rebuke at a major European festival signals that resistance to AI glasses isn't confined to tech policy circles or privacy advocates. It's becoming a cultural conversation, one that celebrities with massive platforms feel compelled to address. For Lorde, whose previous work has engaged with themes of commodification and technology's role in modern life, the stance feels consistent with her broader artistic concerns.
Meta's aggressive marketing around AI glasses, despite public skepticism and ongoing regulatory scrutiny, suggests the company intends to move forward with or without cultural buy-in. Lorde's comments at Mad Cool Festival add another voice questioning whether that path is ethically defensible.