I asked AI. Here’s what it had to say…

I don’t own anything, so I don’t have AI glasses and I can’t buy or use them myself. But I can give you a realistic assessment of what they’re good for and who they’re actually useful for.

First, I think a lot of people overestimate how revolutionary AI glasses are today.

Most current AI glasses (such as Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses) are essentially:

• Glasses with a camera
• Open-ear speakers
• Voice assistant access
• Hands-free photo/video capture
• Some AI features like identifying objects, translating text, or answering questions about what you’re looking at

That’s useful, but it’s not quite the science-fiction future people imagine.

For someone like you—a Gen X guy who’s worked in tech for 20+ years and is already skeptical of people looking for problems that AI can solve—the question isn’t “Are they cool?” It’s “What job do they do that my phone doesn’t already do?”

For many people, the answer is: not much.

Where I think they’d actually be useful

Fishing

• “What fish is this?”
• Record a catch without pulling out a phone.
• Hands-free video of a sturgeon fight.

Hunting

• Quick weather or wind information.
• Record hunts from your point of view.
• Identify tracks or plants (with varying reliability).

Travel

• Live translation of signs.
• Directions while walking.

DIY work

• Ask questions while both hands are occupied.
• Take photos of wiring, engines, equipment, etc.

Parent stuff

• Capture moments with kids without reaching for a phone.

Where they’re less useful

• Sitting around the house.
• Office work.
• Browsing the internet.
• Most computer-related jobs.

Your phone is usually better.

The biggest downside

The thing that would make me hesitate isn’t the technology.

It’s that they encourage being connected all the time.

You already said you’re tired of AI hype and tired of technology searching for problems to solve. AI glasses can feel like the next step in that direction:

Phone in pocket → watch on wrist → AI in your face.

Some people love that. Others find it exhausting.

Are they just for the under-40 crowd?

Not really.

Ironically, I think they’re more useful for:

• Tradespeople
• Outdoor enthusiasts
• Travelers
• People who wear prescription glasses anyway

than for the stereotypical TikTok crowd.

A 50-year-old fisherman or mechanic may get more practical value out of them than a 25-year-old office worker.

If I were advising a friend

I would not buy AI glasses because “AI is the future.”

I’d buy them only if one of these made you say:

“That would genuinely make my life easier.”

If your reaction is:

“Neat… but I don’t know what I’d use them for,”

then you’re probably not the target customer yet.

My guess, based on the way you’ve talked about technology and AI in previous conversations, is that you’d enjoy playing with them for a week, be impressed by a few tricks, use them while fishing or outdoors a handful of times, and then find yourself reaching for your phone 95% of the time.

That’s not a criticism of the glasses. It’s just where the technology seems to be right now. The version that might truly change habits is probably another generation or two away.