On stage at the Real Cool Festival in Madrid on Thursday, Lorde told the crowd that AI-equipped glasses were "not sexy" and that telling them from ordinary sunglasses had become nearly impossible. She named no brand, but Ray-Ban, a festival sponsor that collaborated with Meta on a pair of AI smartglasses, was the most visible candidate in the room. Videos of the remarks circulated on social media.
What she said
Lorde opened by thanking the Madrid audience for attending and for taking part in "something real." She said it had become increasingly hard to know what is and is not real. Her specific point: standing in a crowd, you cannot look at someone and tell whether they are wearing regular sunglasses or AI-recording glasses. She called the AI kind "fucked up fucking" before stopping mid-phrase. No product or company was named during the remarks.
Ray-Ban Meta and the festival
Ray-Ban held a sponsorship position at the Real Cool Festival in Madrid. The company's collaboration with Meta produced a pair of AI smartglasses. That association placed Ray-Ban's product at the same event where Lorde called AI-equipped eyewear "not sexy" from the stage. Neither Ray-Ban nor Meta issued a public response, per the source report. Lorde's 2026 festival schedule also included the Governors Ball, per photo coverage of the event.