Lenskart just began rolling out its 'B by Lenskart' smart glasses, reporting 30,000 customer pre-orders during its Q4 FY26 earnings call. The company announced the launch amidst growing industry-wide privacy concerns, particularly around covert recording by smart eyewear. Google is also re-entering the AI eyewear race, but Lenskart has offered no plan to address user consent or public recording issues.
How We Got Here
Lenskart's move comes as Google announced its re-entry into the AI eyewear market with audio-only glasses featuring Gemini AI. This competition is heating up against Meta's AI glasses, which have already faced backlash for unconsented public filming, highlighted by MediaNama founder Nikhil Pahwa earlier this year.
The Numbers
- Lenskart CEO Peyush Bansal stated during the Q4 FY26 earnings call that the company aims to learn conversational styles and use cases, not just focus on sales initially.
- Both Lenskart's B by Lenskart and Google's forthcoming glasses include a camera and speakers for AI communication, similar to Meta's existing product.
- India's Digital Personal Data Protection Law does not apply to publicly available personal data, creating a loophole for smart glass recordings.
- Lenskart operates over 3,300 stores across Tier I and Tier II cities, a "structural advantage" for distribution and after-sales service that competitors like Google, Meta, and Snap lack.
What Happens Next
🇮🇳 Why This Matters for India
For Bangalore-based product managers building AI products, Lenskart's strategy for capturing usage data without a clear privacy framework in a market with 3,300 stores presents a unique, ethical challenge in product design.
The Take
What Lenskart is missing here is the reputational hit that comes before any regulatory action. The conversation around "nudify apps" and unconsented recording is already damaging, and 30,000 early adopters will be the first PR fire drill.
Source:
MediaNama ↗