Apple has designed camera-equipped AirPods to allow Siri to see the wearer's surroundings, but an anonymous source tells WIRED the company will likely delay them because Siri's visual intelligence is not ready and executives worry about privacy risks.

Apple has designed AirPods with larger stems to house low-resolution cameras that would act as Siri's eyes, providing visual context for spoken requests. The hardware is in late stages of testing with Apple employees as part of an AI device push, according to Bloomberg.

Potential uses include landmark-based navigation, identifying foods for grocery shopping, and making Siri more intuitive when combined with other Apple devices like the Apple Watch. The cameras are not built to capture photos and video like smart glasses.

Apple will likely delay the camera AirPods despite the hardware being ready, because Siri's visual intelligence capabilities are not sufficiently developed and company executives are concerned about introducing a significant privacy risk without compelling use cases.