Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a bold claim on the social media giant's earnings call in July. People without smart glasses may one day be at a "significant cognitive disadvantage" compared to those who do use the tech, he told analysts.

That vision for the company's future could come into focus this week during the Meta Connect conference, where the tech giant outlines its next steps and announces new products. Reports suggest Meta will announce a new pair of AI-powered smart glasses to follow its relatively successful Ray-Ban spectacles, which can analyze a wearer's environment and answer questions about their surroundings.

The smart glasses have been a bright spot in Meta's largely lackluster attempts to bet early on disruptive technologies. It missed out on the smartphone in the early 2000s. Then in 2021, the company tried to reorient its brand around the metaverse, which failed to reshape the internet in the way Zuckerberg had envisioned.

But Meta's glasses appear to be catching on with consumers; Ray-Ban parent EssilorLuxottica said in July that revenue from its Meta glasses more than tripled year-over-year. And market research indicates Meta is the leading smart glasses brand by far.

Smart glasses aren't likely to become as ubiquitous as smartphones anytime soon. But they could allow Meta to reach consumers directly, potentially reducing reliance on smartphones. That could be critical as Meta seeks to develop "personal superintelligence" -- a vague term Zuckerberg has used to describe AI that "knows us deeply, understands our goals, and can help us achieve them."

The pressure is on as a wave of tech giants including Samsung, Google and Meta's longtime social media rival Snap prepare to launch new smart glasses. Amazon is also developing new glasses with augmented reality, a technology that places computer graphics over real-world surroundings, according to The Information.

Meta and Ray-Ban partnered on a pair of glasses in 2021 called the Ray-Ban Stories that were primarily designed for capturing photos and videos hands-free. But Meta was far from the first to explore using glasses for tasks like snapping photos, making calls and listening to music without reaching for your phone.

Snap and Amazon, in addition to a wave of smaller tech firms, have all released smart glasses for these purposes. Google was an early entrant in 2013 with Google Glass, although that device was unpopular with consumers because of its high price, unfashionable look, limited functionality and short battery life.