😎 Ray-Ban Meta glasses become AI data collectors, China's massive nuclear reactor, ‘sweaty’ spacecraft tech

Big Tech’s shift toward AI dominance is leaving privacy behind. Just like Amazon’s Echo devices, Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are now switching to always-on data collection settings, unless users actively disable them. The company has removed key privacy opt-outs while quietly boosting how much its AI learns from your world.

In an email sent to users on April 29, the company revealed that the glasses will now have Meta AI camera functionality turned on automatically, unless the wake word “Hey Meta” is disabled manually. Alongside this shift, Meta has also removed the option for users to opt out of voice recording storage, bringing its policy closer to Amazon’s.

These updates mean that unless users explicitly turn off voice and camera AI features, Meta will analyze captured photos, videos, and spoken commands to train and improve its AI models. While Meta claims the devices are not always recording, the policy shift raises questions about what data is collected and how it’s used. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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MUST-READ

🕶️ Ray-Ban Meta glasses quietly become AI data collectors in latest update

The Ray-Ban Meta glasses now come with AI camera use switched on as a default setting. “Meta AI with camera use is always enabled on your glasses unless you turn off ‘Hey Meta,’” the company stated in its April 29 email, as reported by The Verge.

This means users who leave voice activation on will have their visual captures — photos and videos — routinely analyzed by Meta AI. To avoid this, users must disable the “Hey Meta” functionality and operate the glasses manually using physical buttons. The company emphasizes that the glasses are not constantly recording and only activate AI features following the wake word or touchpad activation.

Another significant change is Meta’s removal of the ability to opt out of voice recording storage. According to the company, “The option to disable voice recordings storage is no longer available, but you can delete recordings anytime in settings.”

⚡️ China plans to beat US, lead world fusion research with massive X-shaped reactor facility

China is reportedly making aggressive steps to advance fusion research with powerful facilities.

The Asian giant’s massive X-shaped facility is quickly rising. Currently being constructed in Mianyang, Sichuan, the building is expected to be a massive laser-based fusion facility.

Reports have revealed that details from satellite imagery and procurement records suggest that the facility resembles the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF), although it’s much larger in comparison.

🚀 US engineers test ‘sweaty’ spacecraft tech to make rockets reusable as air travel

Spacecraft design is on the edge of a major breakthrough — not in speed or size, but in reusability. Unlike cars or aircraft that have lasted decades, most space vehicles burn through their usefulness in a single flight.

This limits how quickly space missions can scale, especially as more commercial and government entities eye frequent orbital access. At Texas A&M University, researchers are working on a bold idea: a spacecraft that “sweats” coolant gas to protect itself from the intense heat of atmospheric reentry.

Backed by a $1.7 million Air Force Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant, the project is a partnership between the university’s Department of Aerospace Engineering and Canopy Aerospace, a materials science startup.

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