If you were to get Apple’s privacy information in one go, you could do a lot worse than launching AirPods with cameras. Whether they come to market or not, all of Apple’s ubiquitous earbuds can be a question mark for everyone around them: Are they recording me right now?
According to Bloomberg’s well-placed Mark Gurman, Apple designed the camera-equipped AirPods to allow Siri to “see” the wearer’s location. They are in the final stages of testing with Apple employees as part of the “AI device push.”
However, a source who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter told WIRED that Apple may be delaying the AirPods camera. While the hardware is good, Siri’s visual intelligence is not up to par. Apple executives are also concerned that the company is introducing serious privacy risks with earbud cameras without compelling use cases. Apple did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
That brings us to the main question: What benefits would Apple seek from adding cameras to its AirPods—especially at a time when consumer privacy concerns about regular surveillance via smart glass cameras, doorbell cameras, and even phone cameras are on the rise?
Navigation, Shopping, and Smart Siri
According to Bloomberg, these AirPods have great qualifications for installing low-resolution cameras – which act as Siri’s eyes as the visual core of spoken requests. They are not designed for taking pictures and video, like smart glasses. A few of the use cases mentioned in the report include history-based navigation and food identification to help with grocery shopping.
“The vision-based environment is the most obvious,” said Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. “It has to be some kind of experience, which is why I think using it for location-based precision, GPS correction, makes sense.” Google is also using cameras in its upcoming smart glasses to understand the user’s bearings when using Google Maps navigation.
Some potential features will be familiar to anyone with recent experience with smart glasses. Peter Richardson, vice president at Counterpoint Research, likes the idea of standing in front of the refrigerator and asking an AI assistant what to make for dinner, for example when data from multiple devices can work together.
“That’s something that needs visual information,” said Richardson. “There’s a lot of context: Is it the middle of the week? Did I train in the morning? Is it Friday when maybe I’d like to have a glass of wine? Are my friends over?” Similarly, combined with the Apple Watch, visual data can make Siri more intuitive. “If I’m at Paddington Station and I’m running, maybe I’m late for the train, maybe don’t text me,” he said.
As with many niche wearables, there are also interesting accessible applications. 9to5mac suggests that an all-seeing Siri with AirPods, perhaps with infrared capability in the mix, could enhance the power of Apple’s Image Explorer and Voice Over features for visually impaired users. In all of these cases, the key piece of information we don’t yet have is whether the cameras will be facing forward or facing the ground. Gurman points out that a “little LED light” will turn on when virtual data is put into the cloud.
Visual data for AI
At first glance, the thinking here may be obvious: real-world data capture. As Big Tech AI modelers and startups move beyond large text-based language models to modeling, mapping, and robotics, Apple’s popular, affordable device could be transformed into the 2026 equivalent of Google’s StreetView cars.
“Getting information, whether visual or auditory, that’s new information that hasn’t really been used to train an AI,” Richardson said. “But it’s only useful if it can be used to train it.”
