Norway is preparing one of the clearest government responses yet to AI glasses, proposing a temporary ban in selected public places while officials work on lasting rules for the technology.
The move reflects a central tension around wearable AI: the devices may become a major way people interact with artificial intelligence, but they can also photograph, film or record people nearby without obvious consent.
What Norway is proposing
Norway has become the first major country to propose a temporary ban on the use of AI glasses in selected public places. The plan comes from the country’s center-left government, which said on Monday that it would soon introduce a law to parliament.
The proposed restriction would apply to places such as parks, beaches, schools and kindergartens. The government also plans to create an expert group that will recommend permanent national rules.
The point is not to ban the technology everywhere. Norway’s government said it does not want a total ban, and that suitable uses could still exist where there is no risk of filming people without their consent.
That distinction matters. The government is not treating all AI glasses use as unacceptable. Instead, it is focusing on public and sensitive settings where people may reasonably expect not to be recorded by a device worn on someone’s face.
Why privacy is driving the crackdown
The concern is straightforward: AI glasses can turn ordinary surroundings into recordable data. A bystander may not know whether a person wearing the device is simply looking, taking a photo, filming video or capturing audio.
Torgeir Micaelsen, Norway’s digitalisation minister, said he is worried about powerful new technology that could expose people to being photographed, filmed or recorded without their knowledge. He said a temporary ban would create room for a thorough assessment and an informed debate before permanent regulation is set.
Those concerns are especially sharp in places involving children and in private or semi-private situations. Governments around the world are weighing how to regulate AI glasses, including devices from Facebook owner Meta and cheaper copycat devices, amid worries that people are being filmed without consent.
The source article notes particular concern about children and women in settings such as changing rooms. That concern helps explain why schools and kindergartens appear in Norway’s proposed list, alongside broader public areas like parks and beaches.
Local bans are already appearing
Parts of Norwegian society have already acted before national rules are in place. Schools in the capital Oslo have introduced their own bans. Equinor, the country’s biggest company and an oil and gas major, has banned AI glasses from its offices and offshore facilities.
These local decisions show how quickly institutions are moving when they see a risk to privacy, safety or workplace norms. They also show the challenge for national governments: without clear rules, individual schools, companies and public bodies may create their own policies one by one.
Norway is not alone in confronting the issue. Australia is considering a ban on smart glasses in certain public spaces, and courtrooms in several countries have issued bans as wearable technology becomes more common.
The spread of these restrictions suggests that AI glasses are no longer being treated only as a consumer gadget category. They are becoming a governance problem, especially in shared spaces where one person’s device can affect many other people.
The bigger bet on wearable AI
Technology companies see AI glasses very differently. US tech companies such as Meta, Google and OpenAI believe wearable technology, including smart glasses, could replace mobile phones as the main gateway to AI.
The idea is that speaking to AI may be easier than opening an app and typing questions. In that model, AI systems would listen to parts of people’s conversations and daily life so they could respond more naturally.
That vision is one reason the regulatory stakes are high. If smart glasses become a major interface for AI, then questions about consent, recording, public monitoring and bystander privacy will not be minor edge cases. They will become everyday issues.
Analysts at Counterpoint Research estimate consumers will spend more than $1 trillion between 2026 and 2032 on wearable devices. That expected spending points to a large market, but also to a large policy challenge. The more widely these devices spread, the harder it becomes to manage their effects through informal norms alone.
What comes next
Norway’s government said the proposed ban is a high priority and that a draft law would soon be presented to parliament. The temporary measure is meant to create time for a more durable framework rather than settle every question immediately.
Micaelsen warned against a society where people worry about hidden audio recordings, photography and filming in places and situations where they are used to being unmonitored. He said such a society could feel unsafe and lead people to withdraw.
That is the core issue behind Norway’s proposal. AI glasses may make interaction with AI more convenient, but they also blur the boundary between personal computing and public surveillance. Norway’s temporary ban is an attempt to slow that shift long enough to decide where the boundary should be drawn.