Sept. 18, 2026
🕶️ Snap’s Specs Launch Arriving at the Wrong Time?
If unfortunate timing could be crystallized into a product release, it might be Snap’s new Specs smartglasses. The camera-equipped Specs are being released in the midst of a cultural backlash against Meta Ray-Ban smartglasses, which have been dubbed “creep glasses,” because some social media influencers have used them to record strangers in public for online clout. Additionally, Specs are coming out at roughly the same time (October) as Apple’s new Duo foldable iPhone, which is priced at $1,999 versus Specs’ $2,195 starting price.
That’s two headwinds for Snap: deepening cultural resistance, and getting consumers to adopt a pricey new mobile product while the world’s most successful mobile device company is also trying to get consumers to try something new (at about the same price). Although the price alone will make the market for both Specs and the iPhone Duo limited, this time next year, it’s almost certain we’ll see more foldable iPhones on the streets than thick-rimmed Specs smartglasses. But miracles do happen.
Magic Touches: One of those mini-miracles is Snap pairing up with HBO’s new Harry Potter series to launch a Specs augmented reality (AR) app that allows the wearer to perform virtual feats of magic. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel demonstrated the app on stage earlier this week, and the demo was impressive, deftly showing off the power of immersive AR via hand gestures.
On the AI front, Snap also gave a deeper peek at how Specs will deliver AI assistanceon the smartglasses for Mac and iPhone users for scheduling, reminders, and notifications. Overall, as a longtime AR user, Specs seem to deliver a lot of what Magic Leap did about eight years ago, but in a smaller package, with no need for an external computing puck or controller, and aided by AI. Additionally, Specs allow the wearer to watch movies on-the-go, which may inspire some studios to re-investigate teaming with AR device makers on content partnerships.
Personally, I’m already in love with the AR feature-packed device, despite its bold design that demands a bit of stylistic bravery. But the real question is whether the public is ready for its AR future, or if this, like virtual reality, is still a niche platform that only a handful of consumers are actually prepared to pay for. When Meta released its $800 Meta Ray-Ban Display smartglasses, which require a wristband controller, no one trumpeted that it was the new way people would compute while mobile. But let’s be honest, Meta’s product had a decent number of trade-offs that instantly made it a curio beta test device. Specs are clearly the better, more polished product. But features don’t spell success, adoption does. At $2,200 a pair, the only way I see Specs taking off is if the celebrity and wealthy class truly embrace it—thus influencing the influencers—despite the current “smartglasses are creepy” environment. That’s a tough sell.
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🎭 Actor Bill Hader On AI Haters
“I have talked to younger people, and they seem to hate AI. They’re not into it. I don’t know why, but that’s the vibe I get. When I got an iPhone, I was stoked on it, and I didn’t think about Steve Jobs, you know? But [young people] are very aware of the people making [AI]. They just know so much. They’re afraid that anything can be manipulated.”
—Bill Hader, actor, Saturday Night Live, HBO’s Barry
*Source: Variety
🎬 Will Universal Kill the Elon Musk Documentary?
The battle of Big Tech attempting to wrest control of Hollywood and the media from creatives is real, and the latest war front now centers on the Elon Musk documentary from Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney. A new report citing two sources close to the matter claims that Universal is getting “cold feet” about releasing the film internationally.
In response to the report, Gibney took to X/Twitter and said, “The film will be released in theaters in the U.S., starting on October 9. Bleecker Street is the theatrical distributor. Following theatrical and pay-per-view, HBO will stream the film in the US. It will also be released in Canada by Elevation.” So that addresses North America, but leaves the international distribution question up in the air.
Behind the Musk: Publicly, Musk has expressed anger about the film’s release, which reportedly includes an AI-generated simulation of Musk’s voice and face delivering quotes the businessman has actually uttered in the past. On social media, Musk has called the documentary a “hit piece” and has repeatedly hurled insults at Gibney. Likewise, Gibney has posted messages and given interviews that indicate he’s no fan of Musk, so the documentary is expected to be scathing, in the tradition of his other films documenting jailed Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, the Church of Scientology, and the fall of Enron.
On the conspiracy theory front, no executives at Universal can be directly tied to Musk as a secret lever or influence against the film’s international release. However, the fact that the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chief, Brendan Carr, has an ongoing investigation against Universal parent company Comcast over its DEI practices could be a tiny bit of pressure on the studio to not anger friends of Trump like Musk.
Nevertheless, following the report on Universal’s potential shift on the Musk film, CNN media reporter Brian Stelter claimed that a source at the studio told him, “We remain committed to releasing the film and those plans have not changed. The studio is currently working through our international release strategy.”
🤖 Terminator Director Buys Into AI For His Own Studio
Director James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment, the production company behind hits like the Avatar franchise, Alita: Battle Angel, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, just made a splashy acquisition in the realm of AI by snapping up VFX studio Outsyders. The company, launched in 2024, focuses on AI-enhanced workflows and will work within Cameron’s Lightstorm Vision unit.
“We’ve been working with Paul Becker and his team for almost two years, and really enjoyed the collaboration,” said Cameron. “As everyone knows, I’ve got a very exacting eye for 3D, and I can confidently say that their work and their AI tools are world-class. Together we will provide end-to-end solutions for productions and for studios, as we merge the worlds of conversion and native photographic 3D.”
The Future of VFX: Lightstorm Vision is primarily focused on 3D visualizations and did much of the VFX work on the Avatar films. By adding Outsyders to the mix, Cameron is making good on his promise to integrate more AI production into his projects. How that actually plays out, either as effects around real actors, or eventually creating fully AI-generated films, remains to be seen. In interviews, Cameron has said that he believes human actors are essential to the film process, but the deeper he goes down the AI rabbit hole, the harder it may be for him to resist trying his hand at eventually creating fully AI-generated films. ✍︎
MAN AND ROBOTS is a weekly column from MARS Magazine on AI, Hollywood, and the future of work. All editorial text is written by humans.
Cover image: Photo illustration of HBO’s Harry Potter character wearing Specs
