Brilliant Labs raises $3 million for AI-powered AR glasses

Brilliant Labs has raised $3 million in funding for its artificial intelligence augmented reality glasses.

The company also introduced a rebranded generative AI program, now called Noa, formerly known as arGPT. and unveiled the integration of Stability AI, an open-source visual AI model, into its flagship AR device, the Monocle.

Brilliant Labs said the initial subscription was oversubscribed with funding from the Wayfarer Foundation, former Paylocity founder Steve Sorowitz and Coho VC. The device has competition from Metas, which recently introduced the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

The fresh infusion of capital from key players in the AR and generative AI industries reinforces Brilliant Labs’ commitment to advancing generative AI technology. This funding round, which is in addition to the initial seed capital of $3 million, positions Brilliant Labs as a leading provider of augmented reality devices and fosters an open source ecosystem for developers and consumers seeking a reliable personal AI assistant.

Ethical artificial intelligence

Brilliant Labs and the Wayfarer Foundation are leading the development of the world’s first ethical framework for head-mounted AI devices, setting a new precedent in the industry.

“Today’s news marks a milestone in our journey towards creating an open source ecosystem that will bring to life the next generation of embedded artificial intelligence devices that benefit from augmented reality,” said BrilliantLabs CEO Babak Twanger in a statement. The future is also shared between the key players in AR and the Generative AI industry, who have once again shown great support.

The Nova app, formerly known as arGPT, plays a central role in Brilliant Labs’ mission. The first version of Noa, which initially launched on iOS with OpenAI integration, enabled real-time language-to-English translation, allowing users to distinguish truth from fiction during conversations using ChatGPT.

With the addition of sustainability AI, Brilliant Labs has taken an important step forward. The integration brings together a suite of global AI models including Whisper, Stability AI, and ChatGPT into a Monocle-like wearable, enabling users to create AI-generated images from snapshots of their lives.

Consumers can access the Stability AI feature by connecting the Noa app, available on the App Store for iOS and now on Google Play for Android phones, to the Brilliant Labs Monocle AR wearable via Bluetooth. By tapping and long-pressing the touch sensor on the Monocle, users can take pictures of their surroundings through the front camera. They can then use voice commands to determine how to edit the captured image using Stability AI.

Developers also have the opportunity to experiment with sustainable AI through Noa. The program allows them to adjust the Stability AI parameters and adjust the visual style of the generated image to suit their preferences, whether they want fantastic or realistic output.

Among Brilliant Labs’ previous investors, who contributed $3 million in seed capital, were notable industry figures such as Brendan Irib, co-founder of Oculus. Adam Cheyer, co-founder of Siri; and Eric Magikowski, founder of Pebble.

Founded in 2019 by ex-Apple employee Bobak Tavangar, along with co-founders Raj Nakarja and Ben Heald, Brilliant Labs wants to transform human-machine interactions by developing generative AR glasses embedded with artificial intelligence. The company’s flagship product, Monocle, is an open source wearable AR device designed to empower hackers and creatives to reimagine the future of wearable AI.

With a total initial funding of over $6 million, Brilliant Labs is backed by notable investors including Coho VC, Brendan Iribe, Adam Cheyer, Eric Migicovsky, Steve Sarowitz, Nirav Patel, Francisco Tolmasky, Plug and Play Ventures, Moveon Technologies and others. has brought.