The message sits half-written in the drafts folder: "Hi, I'd like to wear a pair of AI glasses at work — would that be alright?" Then the cursor hovers over Send, and it never gets sent. Asking feels awkward mostly because people lead with the gadget instead of the reason. Flip that around, and an awkward favour turns into a straightforward work conversation.
Short answer: yes, you can absolutely ask — and how you ask decides the answer. Lead with the fact that the Even G2 is camera-free (nothing is recorded), tie it to a concrete task you already do (notes, a teleprompter for calls, live translation), answer the data question before your manager raises it, and propose a short trial rather than a blanket yes. Put it in writing so there's a record. This is workplace etiquette, not a legal question — every employer sets its own rules, and those are the ones to respect.
Lead with the one fact that removes the biggest worry
The instinctive fear any manager has about "smart glasses" is covert recording. Take that off the table in your first sentence. The Even G2 has no camera — it's a monochrome display you read, not a device that watches the room. It pairs to your phone over Bluetooth, has no SIM of its own, and films or photographs no one. Opening with that defuses the biggest objection before it even forms. If it helps to explain who the device is actually built for, our overview of who the Even G2 suits lays it out.
Anchor the request to a work problem, not a new toy
Managers approve tools that solve problems. "I'd like some cool glasses" gets a no; "I lose the thread reading notes off a second screen during client calls, and a discreet teleprompter would fix that" gets a yes. Name the exact task: silent notifications so you're not pulling your phone out mid-meeting; a teleprompter for presentations; live translation with international clients; a hands-free QuickNote. One clearly named task is far more persuasive than a list of things the glasses could do.
Answer the data question before it's asked
This is the honest part, and it's what builds trust. Some features run phone-side and need no internet (notifications, a downloaded teleprompter script, notes). Others are cloud-based and send data over the network (live translation, AI prompts). Say, unprompted, which features you'd use and which you'd keep switched off around confidential material. Offer to read your company's device-and-data policy first. Drawing the line yourself is what makes you look trustworthy — and that is what earns the yes. For the detail on what goes where, see our privacy overview.
Ask for a trial, not a permanent blessing
Lower the stakes. A blanket, permanent "yes, wear them always" is hard for a manager to grant. A reversible experiment isn't. Propose two weeks, on clearly named tasks, with a short review at the end. That turns a big decision into a small one that's easy to approve — and along the way you gather real evidence for or against wearing them long-term.
The five-minute version, step by step
- Pick one real use case Not "everything" — the single task the glasses visibly improve, such as the teleprompter for your next presentation.
- Open with camera-free Your first sentence names the fact that dissolves the recording worry: no camera, nothing captured.
- Name the data limits yourself State what runs phone-side and that you'll switch cloud features off around anything confidential.
- Propose a short, reversible trial Two weeks, clearly scoped tasks, a review — easy to approve.
- Put it in writing and offer a demo A short email creates a record; offering to show the glasses in person clears the last of the scepticism.
A message you can adapt
Shorter is better. Adjust the square brackets to your situation and delete whatever doesn't apply.
Hi [Name], I'd like to trial a pair of camera-free AI glasses (the Even G2) for [specific task, e.g. reading speaker notes during client calls]. They have no camera and record nothing — they show short text on the lens, driven by my phone.
Live translation uses the internet, so I'd keep it switched off for anything confidential and stick to notes and notifications. I'm happy to read our device-and-data policy first.
Could I trial them for two weeks on [task], and we review how it went afterwards? I'd be glad to show you how they work beforehand.
A model wording from AI-Eyewear, not legal advice. Whether permission is required, and in what form, depends on your workplace's own rules — check with the relevant person there.
So: ask, wait, or test first?
Ask with confidence if your use is notifications, teleprompter or notes and your employer is open to reversible experiments. The camera-free design takes the sting out of the request.
Wait if you'd only ever use cloud translation on confidential material, or your workplace already bans wearables outright — that's a different conversation from this one.
Test first so you can demonstrate with conviction. Try the features at the Zürich showroom before you ask — someone who knows how the teleprompter feels can explain it in two sentences.
Disclosure: AI-Eyewear is the authorised Swiss reseller of Even Realities. We sell the glasses — but a badly prepared request helps no one. We'd rather you ask once, convincingly, than three times, hesitantly.