The IO+ Week: The invisible AI whisperer in your glasses

Last week, during Demos, Pitches & Drinks in Eindhoven, startup founder Rudie Verweij walked onto the stage to pitch his company, Reck Connect. His story was already intriguing: AI coding agents are changing software development so fundamentally that the future of coding suddenly looks strangely retro. More command lines. More text. Less clicking around. Reck Connect wants to solve one of the weak spots in this new reality by moving the actual coding process away from fragile laptops to powerful remote workstations.

But the real surprise came at the very end of his presentation. (look for yourself: it starts at 5'50")

Rudie Verweij and Bert-Jan Woertman playing with the teleprompter glasses

Only then did Verweij reveal that throughout his entire pitch, he had been reading his text live from a pair of AI-supported teleprompter glasses. Nobody in the audience had noticed. Not me. Not the people sitting next to me. Not the dozens of entrepreneurs, investors, and engineers in the room.

And honestly? That realization stayed with me far longer than the pitch itself.

The glasses in question are made by Even Realities, a company building photonics-based smart glasses that project information directly into your field of vision. In this case, Verweij used them as a discreet teleprompter. But during our conversation afterward, we quickly moved beyond that simple use case.

Because once you can silently receive information during a live conversation, the implications become enormous.

Imagine a job interview where the candidate receives live suggestions from an AI assistant while speaking. Or a sales meeting where the glasses continuously feed you talking points based on everything known about the customer. Think of a politician in a debate getting real-time fact checks and rhetorical advice. A student in class silently receiving summaries, translations, or even answers during an exam. A journalist interviewing someone while an AI assistant instantly surfaces earlier quotes, contradictions, and contextual data.

It is basically ChatGPT, but invisible. Not on your phone. Not on a laptop. Floating directly in front of your eyes while the other person has no idea it is happening. Controllable with a simple ring on your index finger.

Part of me finds that incredibly exciting. The technology could genuinely help people communicate better, overcome stress, compensate for disabilities, learn faster, or access knowledge more naturally. Public speaking suddenly becomes less intimidating. Language barriers shrink. Memory limitations matter less.

But another part of me feels deeply uncomfortable.

Human interaction has always relied on a relatively simple assumption: that the person in front of you is fully present in the conversation. These glasses quietly break that assumption. Once AI becomes an invisible participant in every interaction, authenticity itself starts to shift. Are you speaking to a person, or to a person plus an invisible intelligence layer continuously coaching them?

And perhaps even more unsettling: we may soon reach the point where not using such systems becomes a disadvantage.

© Even Realities

The technology is still early. The glasses still look slightly futuristic. But what if they can become contact lenses? After seeing Verweij use them unnoticed in a crowded room, one thing became very clear to me: this is no longer science fiction. The invisible AI whisperer has already entered the room.

What else occurred last week?

Talking about science fiction, be sure to read Elcke Vels's thought experiment using a potential quantum installation: Thought experiment: quantum computers & replicating our reality

And of course, a lot more happened in the world of innovation. As every week, here's a selection of last week's production on IO+.

HighTechXL launches €11M fund

Deep-tech accelerator HighTechXL has launched a new €11 million venture fund aimed at supporting startups from the earliest possible stage. The fund focuses on high-risk, high-impact technologies emerging from research environments, helping founders bridge the difficult gap between scientific breakthrough and commercial reality. With Brainport Eindhoven increasingly positioning itself as a European deep-tech hotspot, the move reflects growing confidence in long-term technology investments.

HighTechXL launches €11M fund to back deep tech from day one

LiS aims to grow to 700 instrument makers, also beyond Leiden

The Leidse Instrumentenmakers School wants to significantly expand its role in solving the Netherlands’ growing shortage of highly skilled technical talent. As part of Project Beethoven, LiS plans to increase student numbers from 400 to 700 and explore expansion beyond Leiden itself. The message is clear: if the Netherlands wants to maintain its technological ambitions, it urgently needs many more precision instrument makers.

LiS aims to grow to 700 instrument makers — also beyond Leiden

Your software was not built by you. Are you still in control of it?

As AI-generated code rapidly becomes mainstream, a fundamental question emerges: who truly understands the software we increasingly depend on? This article explores the growing tension between speed and oversight in AI-assisted development. Developers can now build applications faster than ever, but when machines generate substantial parts of the codebase, accountability, transparency, and long-term maintainability become critical concerns.

Your software was not built by you. Are you still in control of it?

Milence raises €120M to scale electric truck charging in Europe

Milence has secured another €120 million to accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure for electric freight transport across Europe. Backed by major truck manufacturers, the company aims to solve one of the biggest bottlenecks in heavy-duty electrification: reliable large-scale charging capacity along Europe’s transport corridors.

Milence raises €120M to scale electric truck charging in Europe

Dutch universities unveil plan to break free from Big Tech

A coalition of Dutch universities wants to reduce dependence on American technology giants by developing more sovereign digital infrastructure. The initiative focuses on cloud services, AI tools, data storage, and digital autonomy. The debate mirrors broader European concerns about technological dependence and strategic control over critical digital systems.

Dutch universities unveil plan to break free from Big Tech

QuantWare raises €15.2 million for powerful quantum processors

Delft-based quantum startup QuantWare has secured €15.2 million in funding to further develop scalable quantum processors. The company specializes in hardware architectures designed to overcome current scaling limitations in quantum computing, positioning itself as one of Europe’s most ambitious players in the race toward practical quantum systems.

QuantWare raises €15.2 million for powerful quantum processors

Europe’s tech leaders issue warning: “Act as one, or fall behind”

The CEOs of companies including ASML, Airbus, SAP, Siemens, Nokia, and Ericsson have issued a rare joint warning: Europe risks losing technological relevance if it continues to operate as a fragmented collection of markets and policies. Their plea is for stronger industrial coordination, faster scaling, and a more unified European technology strategy.

Europe’s tech leaders issue warning: “Act as one, or fall behind”

Inside the building that powers the internet

Behind every AI query, video stream, and cloud service lies a hidden physical reality: the data center. This article takes readers inside the massive infrastructure facilities quietly powering the modern digital world. Far from anonymous warehouses, these buildings have become strategic assets at the center of debates about energy use, sovereignty, AI growth, and Europe’s digital future.

Inside the building that powers the internet

A Daily Podcast

Or do you prefer to listen? A new episode of our daily podcast is ready for you every weekday at 6:30 AM. In it, our AI colleagues Oliver and Shelby discuss the two most interesting stories of the day. That makes IO+ Daily the perfect way to start your morning with optimistic news from the world of innovation and technology. See you tomorrow.

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