The company behind Facebook is bringing its artificial intelligence-enhanced glasses to Tysons Corner Center.
Meta anticipates opening its first “Meta Lab” retail boutique at the mall sometime in June, the company’s vice president of retail, John Koryl, told Fairfax Real Estate Insider reporter Austin Wright, who first confirmed the plans for a Tysons store.
Meta is currently seeking building permits from Fairfax County for a 136-square-foot kiosk on the mall’s second level. FFXnow didn’t obtain a copy of the building plan by press time, but the Washington Business Journal reported that it shows the kiosk sitting near the PenFed Plaza entrance between Victoria’s Secret and Zara’s newly expanded store.
A spokesperson for Tysons Corner Center said the mall was “unable to comment at this time” on Meta’s potential retail location. The Facebook parent company didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry from FFXnow.
Similar to Apple’s popular stores, which notably got their start at Tysons Corner Center, Meta Labs serve as a physical space where customers can try out the company’s products, including its AI glasses, virtual reality Meta Quest headsets and other wearable technology.
Branded with Ray-Ban and Oakley, the AI glasses are outfitted with “discreet” Bluetooth speakers, screen lenses that are supposed to adjust to surrounding lighting conditions, and built-in cameras, allowing users to take calls, capture photos and video, and utilize Meta’s AI functions.
Some have raised privacy concerns about smart glasses, with Wired reporting just yesterday that Meta has embedded facial recognition capabilities in its glasses while saying publicly that it was still “thinking through” whether to roll out that technology. At the same time, Meta’s AI glasses have been heralded as a game-changer for people who are blind or have low vision, providing auditory feedback to help them navigate their surroundings.
Meta Labs currently has flagship locations in New York City and Los Angeles, along with stores in Honolulu, Las Vegas and Burlingame, California.
According to the WBJ, Meta has been scouting Georgetown for a D.C. showroom that could span 3,000 to 5,000 square feet. It’s unclear if the company is still searching for a space there, and whether the Tysons kiosk is intended to be a long-term location or perhaps a temporary pop-up until a bigger store is established in the District.
Photo via Meta
