Meta (META)

Shares in Meta rose in pre-market trading on Wednesday as the company revealed its latest augmented reality (AR) glasses during its annual developer conference. CEO Mark Zuckerberg showcased a prototype of the new glasses, named Orion, marking the next phase of Meta's push into wearable technology.

The Orion glasses are designed to project digital images of media, people, games, and communications into the real world, offering an immersive blend of physical and digital experiences. Zuckerberg framed the product as part of Meta’s broader strategy to transition from desktops and smartphones toward eyewear capable of performing similar tasks.

“A lot of people have said this is the craziest technology they’ve ever seen,” Zuckerberg said during his keynote speech, wearing a shirt emblazoned with “Aut Zuck aut nihil,” an adaptation of Julius Caesar’s Latin motto meaning “Either Zuck or nothing.”

A pre-recorded demo highlighted the glasses' capabilities, including users playing a virtual Pong game and conducting video chats through augmented reality.

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Meta also doubled down on its artificial intelligence ambitions at the event, unveiling new products and features for its AI chatbot, Meta AI. The bot will generate personalised images automatically for users, integrating these AI creations into Facebook and Instagram feeds, the company announced.

Additionally, Meta introduced a major upgrade to Meta AI, which will respond to voice commands. Users can also choose from celebrity voices, including Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Bell, and Awkwafina.

“I think that voice is going to be a way more natural way of interacting with AI than text,” Zuckerberg said, highlighting the company’s vision for a more intuitive user experience as AI technology becomes more integrated into daily life.

Intel (INTC)

Intel shares were trending in pre-market trading as the chipmaker rolled out its latest AI chips, despite financial turmoil that could lead to the company being bought.

Intel launched its Gaudi 3 AI accelerator and its most powerful Xeon 6 CPU, providing them to server manufacturers for customer delivery.

The product releases came just days after reports surfaced that Qualcomm (QCOM) had approached Intel with a proposal for a friendly takeover, while Apollo Global Management had offered to invest up to $5bn (￡4.1bn) in the company. The reports, based on anonymous sources and first published by Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, sparked fresh speculation about Intel’s future.