According to Bloombergs Mark Gurman, Apple is prototyping a version of AirPods with integrated cameras. This tech is unlikely to make an appearance in AirPods Pro 3, which are expected to debut this year but nonetheless, its in the pipeline. The bigger question is: why?Visual Intelligence integrationWith the iPhone 16 lineup, Apple introduced Camera Control. This new button is great for taking photos and adjusting camera settings, but it also unlocked a new feature: Visual Intelligence.Visual Intelligence is a powerful tool that helps users learn about the world around them, and allows users to take action based on the physical context around them. You can add an event flyer to your calendar, for example, or tap into the power of ChatGPT or Google to help learn about something you dont understand.According to Bloombergs Mark Gurman, Apple wants to bring similar integration with AirPods, mainly in an effort to bolster its position in the AI race:Apple isworking on a new versionof the AirPods Pro that uses external cameras and artificial intelligence to understand the outside world and provide information to the user. This would essentially be the smart glasses path but without actual glasses.With this integration on AirPods, you could possibly ask Siri about your surroundings, without even needing to take your iPhone out of your pocket.Improved spatial audioSupply chain analyst Ming Chi Kuo has also floated the idea of Apple using these cameras as a means of integration with other products. Specifically, they could be used for better spatial awareness while listening to audio with Apple Vision Pro:The new AirPods is expected to be used with Vision Pro and future Apple headsets to enhance the user experience of spatial audio and strengthen the spatial computing ecosystem. For example, when a user is watching a video with Vision Pro and wearing this new AirPods, if users turn their heads to look in a specific direction, the sound source in that direction can be emphasized to enhance the spatial audio/computing experience.This suggestion in particular is a bit odd, but given Kuos credibility, its worth mentioning. He also mentioned that its possible that these cameras could enable in-air gesture control for AirPods.When to expect themAccording to Bloomberg, Apple wont debut this tech until 2027 at the earliest, likely alongside AirPods Pro 4:Into 2027, the team is considering launching smart glasses on par with the Meta Ray-Bans, as well asAirPods with cameras. The idea is to salvage the billions of dollars spent on the Vision Pros visual intelligence technology, which can scan the environment around a user and supply useful data.My favorite iPhone accessories on Amazon:Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel