Smart glasses are gaining traction, representing a significant technological advancement. The article highlights the evolution of smart glasses, tracing their origins back to the 1960s and early 2000s. The piece suggests a need for careful and wise engagement with technology, particularly for Catholics.
16 days ago
Smart glasses, particularly Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Ban and Oakley models, are rapidly gaining mainstream traction, with sales tripling in the first half of 2025 1. This growth is fueled by a partnership between Meta and luxury eyewear company EssilorLuxottica, with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg touting these devices as the "next computing platform" and a necessity to avoid "cognitive disadvantage" in the future 1. A 2023 Vision Council report indicates that 93% of U.S. adults regularly wear eyewear, and over a third plan to purchase tech eyewear within the year, especially men aged 18-44 and early technology adopters 1.
These devices allow users to check messages, stream audio, navigate, and receive AI-informed responses through voice commands, including real-time language translation 1. Beyond smart glasses, other tech giants are developing advanced wearable technologies, such as Samsung's patent for a dream-monitoring device, Google's "Smart Skin" sensors for vital signs, and Apple's AirPods capable of scanning brain activity 1.
Despite technological advancements, concerns about privacy and potential negative social implications persist 1. While Meta's smart glasses include a blinking light to indicate recording, some users have found ways to disable it 1. Researchers have demonstrated how these glasses, combined with facial recognition, could retrieve personal data, and they have even been linked to criminal activity 1. Meta also employs a "soft opt-out" data collection policy, automatically gathering user video and voice data for AI training unless manually disabled 1. Critics warn of increased dependence on these technologies and their potential to reshape human interaction and cognition, especially given that Americans already spend over 11 hours daily consuming media, much of it on screens 1.
The Catholic Church is actively engaging with the rapid advance of AI and emerging technologies, viewing the current moment as "another industrial revolution" 1. Pope Leo XIV has emphasized the need for regulatory frameworks that prioritize the human person, not data, advocating for "integral human development" 1. In January, the Dicasteries for the Doctrine of the Faith and for Culture issued Antiqua et Nova, a theological framework outlining seven principles, including rationality, embodiment, and relationality, to guide moral reflection on technologies that influence cognition and development 1.
The Church questions whether these new gadgets will deepen or diminish humanity 1. Pope Leo XIV has cautioned young people against allowing algorithms to dictate thoughts and relationships, stating that when a tool controls a person, that person becomes a "commodity" 1. He stresses that only "genuine relationships and stable connections" can build good lives, urging the faithful to embrace technology in a way that "enlarges our humanity" rather than narrowing it 1.
What is the Church's teaching on technology's impact?
The Catholic Church recognizes both the immense potential and the significant challenges that technology presents to humanity and society. Its teaching emphasizes that technology, while a product of human ingenuity and a reflection of God-given intelligence, must always serve the true good of the human person and promote integral human development .
The Church views human creativity, including technological advancement, as a participation in God's own creative power. Technology is seen as a means to improve living conditions, overcome limitations, and enhance human capabilities. However, this gift comes with a profound responsibility. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states that "technology, a product of human genius, is a powerful means for accomplishing the task entrusted to man by God, that of cultivating and caring for creation". It is not an end in itself, but a tool that must be guided by moral principles and directed towards the common good .
The Church consistently calls for an ethical reflection on the development and use of technology, warning against the dangers of a purely technocratic paradigm that prioritizes efficiency and utility over human dignity and moral values .
To ensure that technology serves humanity, the Church proposes several guiding principles:
In essence, the Church's teaching on technology is one of cautious optimism and ethical vigilance. It acknowledges technology's potential to enhance human life and fulfill God's mandate to care for creation, but it firmly asserts that technology must be guided by a robust moral framework rooted in human dignity, the common good, and integral ecology. Without such guidance, technological progress risks becoming a force that diminishes rather than elevates humanity .