Rokid Smart Glasses Integrate Gemini and ChatGPT
AI smart eyewear firm Rokid has released a major software update for its glasses, becoming the first manufacturer to natively support both Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT. The move is part of a push toward an open ecosystem for AI-powered wearables.
Hangzhou-based Rokid reached a $1 billion valuation in November after a $112 million raise from investors like NetDragon Websoft. The company has also secured backing from major players including Singapore's state-owned fund Temasek, IDG Capital, and Fosun International. The company's strategy directly counters Meta's closed ecosystem by providing an open SDK for its 15,000+ strong developer community. This "Android to Meta's iOS" approach allows developers to build their own integrations and is a key part of their push for an open platform for wearables. A recent major funding round of nearly $70 million was led by the municipal government of Hefei, a city known for its venture capital investments in tech. This partnership aims to establish an "industrial metaverse headquarters" and co-create a metaverse developer platform to foster innovation in spatial computing. Beyond AI chatbots, Rokid is making a significant play in payments. The company is integrating Alipay+ GlassPay, a solution from Ant International, to enable hands-free, AI-powered transactions directly through the glasses. This connects Rokid's hardware to Alipay's network of over 1.8 billion user accounts and 150 million merchants. The payment integration allows users to confirm purchases via voice commands, camera-based code scanning, and biometric authentication without using a smartphone. In China, where the feature is rolling out, users can link their Alipay account to pay by voice, a move Rokid's CEO says ushers the "AI glasses industry into the era of payment." Rokid has a history of successful crowdfunding, raising over $3 million on Kickstarter for its lightweight AI glasses, positioning it among the top wearable campaigns on the platform. This demonstrated strong consumer demand for an alternative to audio-only smart glasses like Meta's Ray-Ban.
