Meta AI Glasses Demo Fails Twice Live at Connect 2025 as Zuckerberg Faces WiFi Issues and Glitches

At the 2025 Meta Connect event, Mark Zuckerberg’s live demonstration of Meta’s new AI-powered glasses encountered technical issues twice, highlighting the challenges of showcasing cutting-edge technology in real time. The first glitch occurred during a live demo featuring food content creator Jack Mancuso, who was using the second-generation Meta Ray-Bans to prepare a Korean-inspired steak sauce. When Mancuso asked the glasses to guide him through the initial steps, the AI responded by assuming he had already combined the base ingredients, instructing him to grate a pear and mix it in—despite the fact that he hadn’t started yet. Despite repeated attempts to clarify, the AI persisted with incorrect instructions. Mancuso attributed the failure to a "messed-up" WiFi connection, prompting a supportive reaction from the audience. Zuckerberg acknowledged the mishap with humor, remarking on the irony of years of development being derailed by a weak network connection. “The irony of the whole thing is that you spend years making technology and then the WiFi at the day catches you,” he said before moving on. The second major glitch came during a demonstration of the new Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, which feature a heads-up display (HUD) and are designed to deliver notifications and navigation cues directly into the user’s field of view. Zuckerberg paired the glasses with a neural wristband, which allows users to type messages using hand gestures. He attempted to send a video call request to Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s chief technology officer, using the wristband. Despite repeated hand motions, the call failed to connect. Bosworth eventually stepped in to help, joking about the poor WiFi. “This WiFi is brutal,” Bosworth said. Zuckerberg responded, “Yeah, I don’t know. We’ll debug that later. You practice these things like 100 times, and then, you never know what’s going to happen.” Bosworth added, “I promise you no one is more upset about this than I am, because this is my team that now has to go debug why this didn’t work on the stage.” Despite the technical hiccups, the overall tone of the event remained upbeat. Meta shares rose slightly by half a percentage point after the demos, and the audience appeared unfazed. As Bosworth put it, “This is how we know it’s live.” The incidents underscored the complexity of live AI demonstrations, especially when relying on wireless connectivity and emerging hardware. Experts noted that spotty WiFi at large conferences is a common issue, and the glitches may have actually reinforced the authenticity of the showcase.