Meta's AI Glasses

Friday, Sept 19th, 2025

World News — Surge In Migrants Entering Canada

Bloomberg

Canada is experiencing a dramatic spike in land border crossings, with over 5,500 asylum claims filed at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing south of Montreal since July—a 263% jump from last year—following intensified US ICE raids and toughened immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump. Many migrants, including some US citizens, are fleeing to Canada after losing previous legal protections and facing aggressive deportation crackdowns; the surge coincides with revocations of temporary statuses and targeted operations by US authorities, propelling both foreign nationals and Americans to seek asylum north of the border.

Tech — Meta’s Smart Glasses

FT

Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Meta’s first smart glasses with a built-in display, branded as Meta Ray-Ban Display, at the annual Meta Connect conference, positioning the device as a crucial step toward his vision of “superintelligence”—wearable AI that can ultimately replace smartphones. The $799 glasses overlay messages, calls, and responses from Meta’s AI assistant directly in the user’s vision and are controlled by a wristband that detects subtle hand movements, described by Zuckerberg as the “world’s first mainstream neural interface,” though the product launch was marred by technical glitches during its live demo. Alongside the Ray-Ban Display, Meta announced improvements to its existing smart glasses line, new Oakley-branded sports glasses, and a major restructure of its AI teams as it intensifies competition with Google and Apple for leadership in consumer AI wearables.

Business — Asian Stocks Hit Fresh New Highs

Asian stocks edged toward an intraday record as the MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.2% on September 18, 2025, buoyed by a fresh rally in global equities following the Federal Reserve’s first interest rate cut since December. The S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, Dow Jones, and Russell 2000 all closed at new highs—their first simultaneous records since November 2021—while the broad MSCI World Index also set a record, reflecting strong risk appetite after Thursday’s US jobless claims fell by the most in nearly four years. Although a handful of megacap US tech companies drove much of the recent advance, analysts see the Fed’s dovish stance and resilient economic data as fueling an “everything rally” but also warn that equity valuations are increasingly reliant on sustained confidence in tech and further policy easing.

Culture — The Souring American Sentiment on Israel

Despite Prime Minister Netanyahu’s declarations of unbreakable US-Israel ties during Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s September visit to Jerusalem, the alliance is weakening as Israel becomes increasingly isolated over its war in Gaza and Western democracies—including Australia, Britain, Canada, and France—move to recognize a Palestinian state. US popular support for Israel has reached a 25-year low, with recent polls showing over half of Americans now hold unfavorable views of Israel and rising numbers—especially among younger Democrats and Republicans—believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. While past alignment between the two nations was rooted in shared values and interests, Democratic voters are repelled by Israel’s rightward shift and harsh policies in the West Bank and Gaza, and Republican support is now eroding as frustration grows over foreign aid spending and Israel’s actions complicating US regional policy. With the existing $3.8bn annual defense agreement up for renewal in 2028 and Israel seeking to repackage the relationship amid military escalation, analysts warn that shifting US public opinion could jeopardize Israel’s indispensable protection, marking a more profound risk than policy disputes between governments.

The Daily Spark

A rising share of VC activity globally is AI deals, and 63% of all VC deals in North America are now AI or machine learning, see chart below.

Weekly Chart

The robotics field is pivoting toward general-purpose robots. Foundation models, which identify patterns that allow robots to perform multiple tasks, could improve their dexterity, according to McKinsey & Co Partner Ani Kelkar and coauthors. Classical techniques have been sufficient for safety and remote assistance, while traditional machine learning techniques can nearly achieve human-like capabilities in mobility, such as arm movement and balance. And now, researchers are developing multimodal foundation models that would allow robots to perform actions based on visual inputs and spoken commands.

Quote of the Day

“People who are right most of the time are people who change their minds often.”

― Jeff Bezos