Kai Østergaard is blind, but in recent years he has worn glasses almost all the time.
He uses smart glasses from Meta, which, with built-in artificial intelligence, function as a kind of digital eyes for him.
"They become a natural part of you. Every time I'm in a situation where there's something I want to see, I ask the glasses," says Kai Østergaard, who lives in Southern Jutland.
He can use them when choosing clothes in the morning, having a document read aloud for meetings in his role as chairman of the Danish Disability Organisations in Vejen, or to check if the milk in the fridge has expired. In general, they are a great help for him and his wife, who is also blind, he says.
"I also use them when I want to find a place where I can let my guide dog run free. Then I use them to ask if there are other people or dogs around us," says Kai Østergaard, who today cannot imagine life without the glasses.
Kai Østergaard was not born blind but became blind, and he has, among other things, enjoyed using the Meta glasses to describe what his garden and the houses in the neighbourhood look like. (Photo: © Private photo)
But there have not been many positive stories like his about the Meta glasses.
The glasses have recently been the subject of harsh criticism and have been referred to as "stalker glasses" and "surveillance glasses," following examples of people being filmed without their knowledge, where women in Denmark and abroad have told of finding videos of themselves on social media after being secretly filmed.
Read also: Mathilde was secretly recorded with 'harasser glasses' and exposed on TikTok: 'I was simply just totally in shock' (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/mathilde-blev-hemmeligt-optaget-med-kraenker-brillen-og-haengt-ud-paa-tiktok-jeg-var-simpelthen)
Several influencers and fashion magazines have stopped advertising for the glasses (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/stalker-briller-og-overvaagnings-briller-reklamer-ny-tech-brille-faar-heftig-kritik) after harsh criticism in the comment sections. And most recently, the Red-Green Alliance has proposed a ban, while Minister of Justice Nicolai Wammen (Social Democrats) has promised to look into how Danes can best be protected against misuse of the technology.
But one should be cautious about bans and remember the people in the debate for whom the glasses are a huge help. This is the view of Diana Stentoft, chairperson of the Danish Association of the Blind.
"We must not think that everyone who has glasses that can film has bad intentions," she says.
----------------------------
Fears negative comments
----------------------------
If you ask the Danish Association of the Blind, AI glasses have the potential to be life-changing for people who are blind or visually impaired, as they receive information about the world around them and can break free from dependence on other people's help when, for example, they need to find the right bus during rush hour.
"It is simply a revolution and probably one of the most transformative assistive devices to come onto the market in many years. It will provide an incredible amount of freedom and mobility that blind and visually impaired people have not had before," says Diana Stentoft.
Although she acknowledges the importance of the current debate about the glasses, Diana Stentoft is afraid that derogatory terms like "stalker glasses," which are circulating in public debate at the moment, could have a negative impact. She also does not believe a political ban is the way forward.
"No one should be harassed or filmed against their will. But I am concerned that we will see a form of vigilante justice that will end up harming blind and visually impaired people who need the glasses," says Diana Stentoft.
What do you mean by vigilante justice?
"If I am sitting in a restaurant wearing Meta glasses and looking at the menu, I am afraid that some people will react negatively to me wearing that type of glasses," she says.
"I am afraid that our members will experience that they can no longer use an assistive device that is good, because some other people cannot behave properly with the glasses," says Diana Stentoft.
The Meta glasses are made in collaboration with Ray-Ban and look like ordinary glasses, but have built-in artificial intelligence, can film, and play sound. (Photo: © Michael M. Santiago, AFP/Ritzau Scanpix)
--------------------------
'I get a little sad'
--------------------------
Kai Østergaard, like the Danish Association of the Blind, is saddened by the negative attitude towards the Meta glasses that dominates the debate following stories about how some have used them to secretly film others.
"I get a little sad when I experience how we humans time and again misuse some of the good things we receive," he says.
At the same time, he emphasises that people like him, who have become blind or were born without sight, would not be able to misuse them for that purpose, precisely because they are blind.
"I really hope that people who meet me and others who have the glasses understand what a great help they are for us, and that we should not be held accountable for stupid things that others do," says Kai Østergaard.
He hopes that even more blind and visually impaired people will get the opportunity to use the glasses as an assistive device.
"It gives immense independence. We are regularly dependent on other people. Perhaps sighted people don't think about that, but being self-sufficient means a lot," he says.
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.