AirPods with cameras would be a good match for contextual Siri

According to recent rumors, Apple has been exploring the idea of putting cameras in the AirPods. Although this project probably won’t see the light of day any time soon, I can’t stop imagining how AirPods with cameras would be a good match with the promised contextual Siri – which was recently delayed by Apple.

Apple working on AirPods with built-in cameras

Let’s start with the rumors. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported this week that Apple has been “actively developing” new AirPods with built-in cameras. Although this isn’t the first report about AirPods with cameras, the report not only corroborates the rumor but also reveals more details about how these cameras would be used.

Of course, when we talk about cameras, most people probably think about having lenses used to capture high-resolution photos and videos, just like the we do on the iPhone. But I’m sure it’s not in Apple’s plans to let people take pictures by pointing their ears at someone.

So what would these cameras be used for? Well, cameras are sensors, and they can be used for a lot of things. For instance, iPhones have an infrared camera in addition to the main front-facing camera. This second lens is used to capture the user’s face even in the dark, which makes Face ID work. With that in mind, we can think of a few possibilities.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo once suggested that Apple wants to use the cameras in the AirPods to enhance the spatial audio experience by better detecting the user’s surroundings. Kuo also suggested that the cameras could enable “in-air gesture control” for AirPods, something that would be particularly useful for enhancing the Vision Pro experience, for example.

AirPods with cameras would be perfect for Apple Intelligence and contextual Siri

But my biggest bet for AirPods with cameras is artificial intelligence. According to Bloomberg, Apple has been experimenting with combining these sensors in AirPods with AI to “understand the outside world and provide information to the user.” The idea is similar to what Meta glasses already have with Meta AI, but now in wireless earbuds.

Imagine asking your AirPods things about the place you’re in without having to take your iPhone out of your pocket. And why not give users crucial alerts, such as when there’s a vehicle coming towards them.

But there’s one feature that would be a killer for these future AirPods, and that would be integration with the new contextual Siri. On iOS, the new contextual Siri will learn things about you based on your photos, chats, emails, calendar events, and more. Siri can then provide answers based on this personal context. Yes, I know this feature has been officially delayed by Apple, but imagine something like this for AirPods with cameras.

Instead of using personal data from your device, Siri could use the cameras in the AirPods to capture and learn about the user’s surroundings. Then you could ask Siri not just about a place you’re in at the moment, but about something you saw hours or even days ago.

Of course, there’s a huge privacy concern when it comes to always recording everything around you, but I believe Apple would be the right company to build a feature like this with privacy in mind.

What about you? Would you like to have a feature like this? Let me know in the comments section below.

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