How do we react to AI wearables?

I think not approaching the student was a good reaction for all the reasons you describe! Maybe, depending on class size and your general relationship with students, it is possible to ask a general question at a later date about if students have experiences with wearable AI devices that they would be willing to share with you. In that case, I would make sure that they understand that you are asking out of curiosity about the technology, not trying to control them, and that it is totally up to them whether they want to tell you or not.

It is probably always a good policy to assume that we cannot recognise wearable AI devices. No matter how well-informed and up-to-date we might try to be, they are bound to get smaller and smaller and more and more difficult to recognise. And just because something can technically run AI does not necessarily mean that it is currently running it, too.

I read a super interesting article by Corbin et al. (2026) this morning that won't help you with your question but that is well worth a read if you are curious about wearable AI in general!

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Corbin, T., Sharpe, S., & Dawson, P. (2026). On AI glasses and wearable AI in assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2026.2661367

There are a few different aspects to this question - as so often on this site!

1. AI wearables - what are they and what do they do? - Basically, the glasses are connected to a nearby smartphone and provide instant access to a voice assistant, with the glasses acting as a simple screen which can only be seen by the wearer. They may have video and audio recording tools as well. The AI part is to process data: this might be something you capture using the camera on the glasses, or the queries that you ask via the voice assistant. Uses of camera image processing might be to identify a building in front of you, or to help you read the small print on a label, for instance. Technology is developing rapidly to provide specific help for people with visual impairments, a sort of live alt-text for them as they go about their daily lives. At the time of writing this, AI glasses as assistive technology is more of a marketing tool than a real use, but this will definitely become better. The app Be My Eyes has relied on human volunteers to interpret photos taken on smart phones but is now using some AI as well. Instad of objects or landmarks, the glasses could be used to recognise individuals you can see through the glasses using a facial recognition database. Or to analyse examination questions on the paper in front of you and provide you with an audio version of the answers. You may have views about the acceptability of some of these examples. Mirjam has already provided a link to a recent paper which relates specifically to assessment, and you might be interested in this preprint by Jasper Roe which documents his experiences wearing AI glasses for a period of time, because this details what the products do and how he felt they impacted on him.
2. Managing an unexpected situation in class - as Mirjam says, it's usually better not to react on the spot. It's difficult to manage an unexpected situation when you are also trying to manage your teaching and students' responses. (The one exception to this 'pause and reflect' strategy is if you judge there is potential danger to the student, another student, or yourself). But in this case you give plenty of reasons not to react immediately. Mirjam's idea of a neutral discussion on a later occasion is ideal, especially if you are already having open discussions GenAI and studying. In an open and trusting context, you could say something like "I've always fancied trying out AI glasses but they are so expensive, does anyone have any experience of them?" (as long as you do not later penalise the students for their use if they do offer you the chance to use them). Then you can have a discussion about acceptable uses, whether or not a student has real experience to share.
3. Adapting to a student's individual circumstances - if a students hasn't already shared with you their individual challenges such as a visual impairment or a language difficulty, then bringing it up in class, in front of everyone, isn't a good idea. They are likely to be defensive. AI glasses which can record images are meant to have a visible light on the front which is on when recording, which is a bit of a giveaway, but there are no actual laws about this yet and it's probably possible to buy some which don't have this. A simple approach is 1) reiterate that you are open to discussion about how to make your classes accessible to everyone. You can provide examples with this explanation like uploading the slides a couple of days before class, providing large print handouts, offering some choice of activities, and discussing the use of AI tools for accessibility. 2) ensure that students know how to make use of your offer to be open and supportive: come and see you in office hours, email you, make an appointment, etc - there must always be a confidential option; 3) act on your promise and demonstrate what you've done to make the class more accessible, without singling out individuals, e.g. "a few people asked me to upload the slides two days in advance so they can read through them before class and use them during class to make notes, so I'll be doing that from now on". These trust-building activities will help students to be more open.

Roe, J. (2026). Ambient Misrecognition: An Autoethnographic Account of Life with AI Smart Glasses. Preprint Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21589193