AI wearables are entering classrooms. Are they a smart tool or a surveillance risk?
Expert commentary by Professor Ritesh Chugh, CQUniversity Professor in Information and Communications Technology
Could classrooms one day include smart glasses that translate languages, rings that measure stress, or badges that track attention? In fact, some of this is already here. Smartwatches are common among students, although in some schools, they are banned due to concerns about distraction and misuse. Their mixed reception highlights both the promise and the risks of AI wearables.
What are AI wearables?
AI wearables are devices that you can wear, such as watches, glasses, rings, badges or earbuds, that utilise artificial intelligence to provide real-time feedback or support. A smartwatch might track sleep, heart rate or concentration. Smart glasses could overlay captions in class or translate speech for students learning English as an additional language. Earbuds can already stream lessons or translate languages, and some advanced versions even monitor health through sensors in the ear canal. Rings might sense stress related to study activities. These devices are designed to make information instantly available, but they also raise questions about what kind of information should be monitored in schools.
Are these tools really helping?
Studies so far suggest AI wearables can bring benefits, but the picture is mixed. Smartwatches in classrooms have been used to support student engagement, help learners manage their own learning, and promote physical activity. Reviews of wider wearable use in schools point to gains in performance and motivation.
Other findings are less positive. Consumer wearables such as fitness trackers and smartwatches expose users to heightened surveillance and carry risks to data privacy and security, including the handling of sensitive information like heart rate. Trials with Lumilo smart glasses showed improvements in student learning, but also revealed limits in the technology, as teachers sometimes disagreed with the AI’s alerts and found it challenging to integrate the glasses smoothly into classroom routines.
What could this mean for students?
For many students, smartwatches are already part of daily life, providing reminders, tracking steps and monitoring sleep. With artificial intelligence, these devices are being designed to estimate stress or attention in class, potentially alerting teachers when a student might need extra support, though questions of accuracy and surveillance remain.
AI wearables might also transform learning support. Smart glasses are already being tested that can display live captions or even instantly translate speech. That could make lessons easier to follow for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and for students learning other languages. Trials with AI-enabled smart glasses such as Lumilo show how teachers can use wearable data in real-time, adjusting their lessons on the spot to keep students engaged.
What are the risks?
The most obvious concern is privacy. Smartwatches do more than count steps. They log heart rates, location data and sleep patterns. Smart glasses bring further risks, because they could allow secret audio or video recording in classrooms. Such devices could turn schools into surveillance zones.
Earbuds raise a different set of issues. While they can be used for language translation or accessibility, they are often linked to distraction and cheating. Teachers worry students could use them to listen to music during lessons, receive prompts in tests, or bypass classroom discussion altogether. Advanced “smart” earbuds that connect directly to AI assistants could make these concerns even sharper.
Equity is another issue. Not every student or school can afford smartwatches, earbuds or smart glasses. If such tools become part of mainstream education, they risk deepening divides between students with access to new technologies and those without.
There is also the matter of trust. Students may feel pressured by being constantly monitored, while teachers may feel uncertain about how to use the data responsibly. Without clear boundaries, wearables could change the classroom dynamic from one of mutual trust to one of constant surveillance.
What should schools do now?
Schools cannot ignore these devices. Smartwatches and other wearables are already in classrooms, often without formal policies. The first step is to acknowledge their presence and decide whether they should be banned, restricted or encouraged in particular ways.
Clear policies are essential. Even when wearables belong to students, schools need rules on how these devices are used in class. Without consistency, one teacher might use data to support wellbeing while another could misuse it, leaving students unsure of their rights.
But policies alone are not enough. Teachers also need training, because interpreting wearable data is not straightforward. Without guidance, they could overreact to false alarms or miss signs of genuine concern. Professional development is therefore crucial if AI wearables are to be used responsibly.
Where this leaves us
AI wearables are no longer science fiction. Smartwatches already show how quickly they can become part of school life, often before rules or protections are in place. They can support learning, wellbeing and inclusion. But they can also collect sensitive data, create inequities and damage trust if introduced without care.
The challenge now is to ensure they support students instead of distracting, dividing or surveilling them.
Ritesh Chugh is a Professor of Information and Communication Technologies in the School of Engineering and Technology at CQUniversity. He is an interdisciplinary socio-technical and applied digital education researcher whose work examines how digital technologies shape individuals, organisations, and educational practice. He is recognised among the Stanford/Elsevier World's Top 2% Scientists for research influence.
