2025: Year of AI Evolution in Wearable Tech

Reflecting back, 2025 stands out as a pivotal year for wearable devices, marking a significant evolution from its traditional association with health and fitness to becoming integrated with artificial intelligence.

Over the past ten years, wearables primarily catered to fitness enthusiasts, but now, there's a growing shift as many tech innovators propose a new primary function: harnessing AI capabilities through wearables.

A prime example of this transformation is the reimagining of smart glasses. Once considered a novelty, the unexpected popularity of Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses during the previous CES event highlighted a clear trend towards glasses that transcend mere 'smart' functionality. The showcase was flooded with both audio-enabled and visual display glasses, hinting at a new age of hands-free computing. Many companies are suggesting we rename these as 'AI glasses' instead.

This rebranding isn't limited to Meta. Google has similarly begun to label the differentiation between lightweight AI glasses and other immersive devices, signifying that AI could be the breakthrough that propels wearables into a new era.

The Emergence of Always-On AI Devices

Beyond glasses, a new wave of AI wearables is emerging in forms such as continuous-listening pendants and pins. Products like the Amazon-acquired AI necklace propose a world where AI assists in real-time, summarizing daily meetings and generating to-do lists.

These devices, often marketed as companions, thrive on context-aware interactions, helping organize personal data throughout the day.

Incorporating AI into Classic Wearables

The year witnessed an influx of AI integrations into existing devices. Some significant advancements include adding Google’s Gemini to smartwatches and Apple enhancing the Apple Watch with its own AI-driven features. Similarly, Garmin, Fitbit, and the Oura Ring have all embraced AI capabilities to enhance user experience.

With fitness apps also adopting such technology, interactions between wearable devices and AI-driven insights are becoming more prevalent.

AI: The Future Embedded in Wearables

An insightful conversation with Google’s product lead for Pixel Wearables, Sandeep Waraich, emphasized that wearables offer a unique advantage: they are the one device almost always in contact with the user. Unlike smartphones, wearables can cultivate a continuous presence, facilitating constant AI interaction.

Although the rapid fusion of AI with wearables may be unsettling to some, this evolution signifies how intertwined AI is becoming with personal tech. As long as tech companies continue to advance wearables as an ideal platform for AI, this integration shows no signs of diminishing.