Reform politician says smart glasses help him make speeches in Wales' parliament
Senedd CymruA Reform politician has said he is using smart glasses with an in-built autocue feature to help him make speeches in the Welsh Parliament.
Jason O'Connell said the technology had helped boost his confidence when speaking in the Senedd, and denied it risked misleading people into thinking he was speaking without notes.
"I'm delivering my words in the manner that I see fit," he told the BBC's Politics Wales programme.
But the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader called for the glasses to be banned from use in the Senedd, while a parliament spokesperson said a review was under way.
The smart glasses have allowed O'Connell to make speeches by reading a digital script that appears on the lenses of his glasses.
The text scrolls as he speaks, and it can also be controlled via a ring on his finger.
The Senedd member for the Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr constituency said he had been looking at ways to improve his oratory skills since being elected to the parliament in May.
He said: "One of the things I identified as a weakness of mine was that my head was down looking at my notes a lot, and I wanted to get away from that and these glasses enable me to do that."
Asked if he risked misleading people by giving the impression he was speaking without notes, O'Connell said: "I'm delivering my words in the manner that I see fit.
"Other people might use an iPad, they might use a phone, they might use printed paper.
"This is the method that I find works best for me during those long debates.
"This is authentically my voice, and it's just me relaying that in the way that I feel most comfortable."
O'Connell said the glasses had boosted his confidence "massively".
"As a new member we do have to get over that hurdle and the more of these you do the more confident you get," he said.
"It enables me to communicate effectively with the constituents, the people of Wales.
"When I'm scrutinising government, I want to be able to look the government in the face."
Getty ImagesHowever, concerns have been raised about the use of the technology, particularly ones that have a camera and can record video - although O'Connell's glasses do not have a camera.
Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds said not enough was known yet about what the glasses could do, and said Members of the Senedd (MSs) needed to have equal access to their use.
"What I've called for is that there is a ban on the use of smart glasses in the Welsh Parliament until we have rules and regulations in place which standardise them, and make sure that everybody can have access to them, if that's what they want as well," she said.
A spokesperson for the Senedd's presiding officer said: "Rapidly advancing technologies such as smart glasses offer opportunities to improve accessibility and support Members of the Senedd in their work, but we recognise that they also prompt concerns.
"A review of the use of this technology on the Senedd estate is under way, and we will bring forward its conclusions shortly."
