Engineer Builds Real-Life AR Ad Blocker with Snap Glasses & Gemini

Belgian software engineer Stijn Spanhove created a prototype augmented‑reality ad blocker that runs on Snap’s fifth‑generation Spectacles and uses Google’s Gemini AI to detect and mask physical advertisements in real time

How It Works: 5 Expert Insights

1. Gemini Detects Physical Ads
   Gemini scans the camera feed to spot branded content—like billboards, food packaging, magazines—and identifies their outlines
2. Red Blocks Replace Ads in Real Time
   Once detected, a bold red rectangle covers the ad, sometimes with the brand name labeled (e.g., “Bol. billboard”), effectively “shaming” the ad out of view
3. Snap’s Depth Cache Enables Stability
   AR spatial tracking (Snap’s Depth Cache API) ensures the overlays remain attached to ads even as users move—keeping them aligned, perspective‑corrected, and immersive
4. Developed for Snap Spectacles Only
   The prototype uses Snap’s developer APIs (Lens Studio + Spectacles), making it exclusive and not yet available on Vision Pro, Meta, or Android XR
5. Experimental but Expanding
   Early demos are promising, though the visual overlay can be jarring. Spanhove plans to allow users to customize replacements—thinking trees, photos, or notes instead of a red block

Why It Matters

• Extends digital ad control into the physical world, enabling personal visual filtering.
• Raises UX and ethical questions—does replacing ads with red boxes merely swap one distraction for another ?
• Validates AR’s potential—shows use cases beyond overlays, into personalized “curation” of reality
• Sparks broader conversation about opt‑in reality filtering, from removing ads to avoiding triggers or propaganda.

✅ Final Take

This AR ad‑blocker prototype is a bold proof-of-concept: using AI and AR to transform our visual environment. Though it’s early-stage and exclusive to Snap Spectacles, the idea of controlling what we see in physical spaces is compelling—and controversial. As AR wearables evolve, we may soon choose what we block or replace in our real-world view. Handling UX, ethics, and regulation will be key to realizing this future.