They wanna give phones the bippity-boppity-boot.
Disney executives say it’s time guests tech a break from screens, and take a gander at the amusement parks’ grandeur through AI-powered specs — which have been deemed a “tumor to society” by AI fear-mongers online.
“You’re there together with friends and family and people that you care about, and every time you have to look down at a device or a phone, it breaks that spell,” Bruce Vaughn, president of Walt Disney Imagineering, said in a recent YouTube clip, teasing the rollout of Meta Ray-Ban glasses at the renowned playgrounds.
The elevated eyewear, which can range in cost from $239 to $799, comes equipped with cameras, microphones, speakers and a slew of features charged by artificial intelligence. Vaughn and his team say the sophisticated frames will expand the wonders of hotspots such as Disney World and Disneyland.
Representatives for Disney tell The Post that the company is constantly “exploring, learning and prototyping” new technologies to introduce to its loyal fanbase. However, there is no projected date for an official release of the Meta glasses at the theme parks.
Still, Disney insiders say they’re continuing to “build and test concepts” that could unlock “new layers” of extended reality over time.
“If [I] can use extended reality, I never stop looking at the environment I’m in or the people I’m with,” said Vaughn in the vid, “it’s gonna be less disruptive.”
It’s a wearable bot meant to amplify the magic of Mickey Mouse territory for visitors and Imagineers alike, says Asa Kalama, executive of creative and interactive experiences at Walt Disney Imagineering.
He says the glasses boast “guest-facing applications” as well as “behind-the-scenes design applications” for optimal outcomes.
“For our guests, it allows us to put a virtual theme park guide in their ears,” Kalama explained. “The glasses could enhance the ways we tell stories, unlocking a world of information about the land that they’re in.”
While rocking the Ray-Bans, Disney devotees can ask questions about the objects of their interests and receive answers within seconds via the glasses.
“Maybe I want to learn a little bit more about a merchandise item for my child, all I have to do is look at it, ask, ‘Tell me more information about it,’” said Kalama. “And, right in my ear, I get all of the product information.”
Vaughn adds that the AI-embellished googles will grant his design staff an unprecedented look into the future of Disney’s landscape.
“One of the more fun but intimidating moments of my job is when we do a big greenfield site, which means nothing is on it — we’ve cleared it — and you have to go there and start picturing what it’s going to be like when you build this thing,” he said. “And to be able to go and actually have a pair of glasses, where you can walk around and get an early [pre-visualization] on the site where this thing is gonna be is pretty incredible.”
“Extended reality is gonna reinforce the shared experience,” Vaughn insisted.
The futuristic functions of the glasses notwithstanding, social media naysayers are saying “Hell No” to donning the funky attire at Disney.
“Can’t we just enjoy the natural sounds and sights of the park without the Disney Excel spreadsheet telling us what to do and where to go,” groaned a critic on X, in part, suggesting that the Ray-Bans will further tether folks to the technology, rather than unite them in real-life experiences.
“If Disney and the superfans think the average family is going to invest in an entire set of Meta glasses for everyone just to enjoy the parks, they’re both smoking crack,” tweeted a separate, money-minded detractor.
An irked Redditor simply wrote, “Meta is a tumor to society” beneath a snippet of Disney’s video announcement, arguing that the artificial intelligence will ultimately be the death of humanity.
