Apple's Rumored AI AirPods Upgrade Is Already Raising Major Privacy Concerns

Apple has long been rumored to be introducing cameras onto its AirPods, and now Bloomberg suggests that the device has entered an "advanced testing stage," meaning the final design and upcoming features have been decided, and it's almost ready for production. With higher expectations regarding Apple's first AI wearable, people are already taking to social media to discuss the possible privacy concerns.

One user on X wrote, "So we're not going to have privacy anymore. You can be extra careful not to allow tracking or surveillance on your device. Meanwhile, someone at grocery store, bus, restaurant, etc. could be feeding info about you to Apple." Another on X said, "What's the purpose of putting a camera in your ear?" Over on Reddit, users say they don't see a point in having AirPods with a camera, especially when people have mid to long hair, and the cameras will face sideways.

This device is expected to be introduced later this year, depending on the success of the new Siri, as the cameras are intended to work with the digital assistant. That said, privacy questions will be something Apple will have to address, but the people might just have to get used to cameras in Airpods. While the general public is used to people just raising their hands with their iPhone camera in public spaces, there's still a discomfort whenever they see smart glasses with recording capabilities. AirPods with cameras might be the next frontier.

According to Bloomberg, these AirPods will use the cameras to "see the space surrounding a user and provide information." They'll function like Siri's eyes and aren't designed to take photos or videos. Instead, they will capture data in low resolution and will always have a green light on whenever they're capturing information.

Bloomberg suggests that this wearable could complement the iPhone's Visual Intelligence, offering a hands-free experience with Siri. For example, users could ask Siri to add information from a flyer to their iPhone's calendar, suggest a meal to cook based on their groceries, or even translate something in a different language. It could even "provide more advanced turn-by-turn directions," which is something Google recently did with its new Maps app update.

With a similar design to the AirPods Pro 3, it's unclear if Apple could upgrade this wearable with a new, more powerful H3 audio chip, or if the company will rely on the iPhone to process the data, or send the data to a cloud, using Apple's Privacy Cloud Compute system. Still, there isn't a lot of information about these new AirPods, but this isn't the only AI wearable Apple has in the works, as it is also planning an AI pendant and smart glasses as well.