Rules for AI Smart Glasses in Traffic Approved

AI Smart Glasses Get Traffic Rules

AI-equipped smart glasses are about to enter the traffic regulations in Brazil. The Commission on Transportation and Traffic of the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that establishes specific rules for the use of these devices by drivers. The idea is clear: allow use only in a "driving mode," which restricts functions to navigation, driving assistance, or assistive technology. Any use outside these conditions will be considered a serious infraction, with suspension of the driver's license and a fine multiplied by three.

The bill, proposed by Deputy Carlos Zarattini, was modified by an amendment from the rapporteur Gilberto Abramo. The original version completely prohibited the use of glasses while driving, but the new approach seeks a balance between innovation and safety. The main concern is to prevent the driver's field of vision from being compromised. Additionally, the text establishes rules for the use and sale of glasses outside of traffic, imposing obligations on manufacturers and suppliers. They will have to implement visual or auditory signals to indicate recordings and prevent, by default, the facial recognition of third parties.

Rules Extend Beyond Traffic

It is not only in traffic that smart glasses will face restrictions. The bill also prohibits the use of these devices in places where privacy is essential, such as bathrooms, changing rooms, hospitals, and classrooms. Public competitions and educational assessments are also on the list of restrictions. Mass surveillance of people in public spaces without legal provision is another point that the proposal aims to curb. The goal is to ensure that technology is not used for illegal surveillance, with penalties of up to four years of imprisonment for those who violate the rules.

The focus is clear: transparency and technological minimization. This means limiting the functions of the glasses to what is strictly necessary, preventing risks to the physical and psychological safety of the population. The project also determines that suppliers will be objectively held responsible for the risks created by the product design. The proposal will still go through the committees of Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship, before moving to the Plenary. To become law, it needs to be approved by both the Chamber and the Senate.