AR Glasses Are Coming—But Will Anyone Really Wear Them?

After years of hype, AR glasses are finally on the horizon. Snap says its next-gen smart glasses will launch in 2026. Meta has already sold over two million of its Ray-Ban smartglasses. And it’s reportedly working on a new version instead of next updating its Quest line of VR headsets. Apple is rumored to be quietly working on its own version. These will be much less obtrusive than big VR headsets—they look (mostly) like regular glasses and promise real-time translation, video calls, and turn-by-turn directions, all floating in front of your eyes.

It sounds amazing. But will people actually wear them?

We’ve already seen how virtual reality (VR) goggles, while fun for gaming, are not yet regularly used by most people. Typically, people are wowed by the technology, but don’t want to strap something to their face that cuts them off from the real world. Think of it like an amusement park. It’s really great and fun, but you wouldn’t want to go every day or every week.

I’ve used both the Apple Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 VR headsets. Both are fun, but even if they were lighter and cheaper, they’re a niche product because they’re a big thing strapped to your head. AR is much more subtle—but it still involves wearing something on your head.

For AR glasses to go mainstream, they need to solve real problems—without being awkward or invasive. Think language translation while traveling, guided workouts, hands-free help for delivery drivers, or facial recognition to remind you who that work associate is. It could be an easy way to interact with ever more ubiquitous AI tools. But wearing something on your face is much more difficult and personal than wearing a watch. If the tech feels weird or doesn’t match people’s personal tastes, it won’t be widely used.

For now, the promise is exciting. The reality? Still very much TBD.

AI’s Future: Utopia or Nightmare

Artificial intelligence is racing ahead—so fast that some experts say we’re living through the most important tech shift since electricity. But where’s it all going?

Right now, there are two main visions of the future:

  1. The Optimists – Leaders like Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Dario Amodei (Anthropic) see AI as a game-changer for productivity, healthcare, and science. They predict tools that will help us work faster, solve complex problems, and maybe even extend human lifespans.
  2. The Pessimists – Others, like Geoffrey Hinton (the “Godfather of AI”) and Yann LeCun (Meta), warn we might be going too fast given that we don’t fully understand what we’ve created and how it works. Hinton even gives a 10–20% chance that advanced AI could pose an existential risk.

What’s on the Line?

  • Jobs: Most expect some degree of job losses. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic has warned that AI technology could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar positions within the next five years. The prediction suggests unemployment could reach 10-20% as AI systems transition from augmenting human work to replacing it entirely.
  • The Economy: AI might spark massive productivity growth for companies. But who benefits? That’s why people are now seriously discussing things like Universal Basic Income (UBI) to help distribute gains fairly.
  • Global Competition: The U.S. and China are locked in an AI arms race. Some experts are calling for international agreements—like we have for nuclear weapons—to slow things down and focus on safety.
  • Daily Life: AI is becoming your assistant, tutor, creative partner, and even your co-worker. But there are risks too: misinformation, deepfakes, a reliance on machines to think for us, and humans becoming more disconnected from each other.

So What Now?

Even the most bullish tech leaders agree: we need to be thoughtful. That means building systems we can trust, creating smart policy, and helping people adapt.

At TechDC, I help individuals and small businesses learn how to actually use AI in real life. If you’re curious, reach out.

Further Reading

AI is here and only growing in importance. Whether it becomes our greatest tool or our biggest mistake depends on how we shape it.

AI Chatbots

AI chatbots are big news. People ask me what they should be doing with them. Here are my ideas to get started:

  • Search: Instead of searching Google for websites, consider using an AI chatbot.
  • Proofreading: Chatbots can offer suggestions and make changes based on grammar and content.
  • Shopping: If you have a specific need, for example for an appliance that fits in a particular set of dimensions and has particular needs, Chatbots can shortcut your research.

Keep in mind that these chatbots do “hallucinate” so always verify important information.

The key is to interact with the AI Chatbots. Don’t just ask it to write you an email. Tell it what you are trying to do and ask it to ask you questions so that it can do a better job. Then provide it feedback and tell it what kind of changes you would like.

I think of these chatbots as smart and very literal minded assistants. The more information that you can provide, the better that the assistant will be able to do what you want.

I personally like using Claude, but I also use ChatGPT. Deepmind (the new chatbot from China) is also highly regarded. Give them a try and see how they fit into your life.