Norway has become the first major country to propose a temporary ban on AI glasses in selected public places, citing privacy risks from covert recording1,2.
The center-left government said on Monday it would introduce legislation to parliament soon covering parks, beaches, schools, and kindergartens. An expert group will also be established to develop permanent national rules.
"I am concerned about the introduction of powerful new technology where people risk being photographed, filmed, or recorded without their knowledge," said Torgeir Micaelsen, Norway's digitalization minister. A temporary ban "will give us time to conduct a thorough assessment and hold an informed debate that can lay the foundation for permanent regulation," he said.
The proposal targets AI-enabled glasses specifically in spaces where surveillance expectations are lowest: recreational areas and facilities serving children. ANALYSIS By scoping the ban to these venues rather than imposing a blanket prohibition, the government narrows the immediate restriction while reserving broader authority for the expert group's recommendations.
The move arrives as governments worldwide grapple with how to regulate AI-powered wearables that can capture and process visual and audio data continuously. Norway's approach of legislating a temporary ban while standing up a dedicated expert body to draft permanent rules differs from the broader multilateral frameworks other governments have pursued[1].
ANALYSIS The distinction between a temporary legislative ban and a permanent regulatory framework suggests Norway is treating AI glasses as a category requiring its own rules rather than folding them into existing data-protection law.
No timeline for the expert group's permanent recommendations has been specified in the available reporting. The legislation's parliamentary introduction is described only as coming "soon".