Lorde Criticises AI Glasses During Festival Performance in Spain

Pop singer Lorde used part of her performance at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival to criticise AI-powered smart glasses, adding her voice to a broader debate over wearable technology and digital privacy. Speaking to the audience during her set, the New Zealand artist questioned how artificial intelligence is changing everyday interactions and urged concertgoers not to embrace the technology.

Addressing the crowd, Lorde said it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish what is real as AI becomes more common in daily life. She specifically referred to AI-enabled smart glasses, saying people can no longer easily tell whether someone is simply wearing sunglasses or using AI-enabled glasses. She ended her remarks with a blunt message, telling the audience not to buy the glasses because they were “not sexy.”

The comments came during a festival where Ray-Ban was one of the event’s sponsors. Ray-Ban partners with Meta to produce the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses line, and Lorde performed immediately before singer Jennie, who serves as a brand ambassador for the wearable devices. Although Lorde did not specifically name Meta in her remarks, the timing of her comments drew attention given the festival’s commercial partnerships.

Lorde has previously expressed concerns about the role technology plays in modern life. The source article notes that she has previously written about throwing her phone into the ocean, making her latest criticism of AI-powered wearables another example of her scepticism toward certain forms of consumer technology.

Privacy concerns surrounding smart glasses have continued to attract attention as the devices become more widely adopted. Equipped with cameras and artificial intelligence features, the products have been linked to incidents involving harassment and extortion, according to the source material. Meta has said it takes privacy seriously and includes safeguards such as a visible recording light to indicate when the camera is active.

The company is also facing investigations and lawsuits related to privacy issues involving its AI glasses. One lawsuit alleges that contract workers in Kenya were required to review graphic videos recorded with the devices as part of training MMeta’sAI systems. The source article notes that Meta has not publicly detailed its response to that specific allegation.

Despite those concerns, consumer demand for AI-powered eyewear has continued to grow. EssilorLuxottica, the manufacturer behind Ray-Ban, said it sold more than 7 million Meta AI glasses during 2025. According to the company, that figure is more than three times the roughly 2 million units sold across 2023 and 2024 combined. Strong sales have encouraged Meta to continue expanding its smart glasses lineup.

Lorde concluded her comments by contrasting AI-powered wearables with the value of being present in everyday life. After criticising the glasses, she told the audience that “the here and now” is what she considers truly “sexy,” ending her remarks with a message that emphasised living in the moment rather than embracing emerging wearable technology.