Are AI powered telescopes and observatories worth the premium pricing?

[QuantumDay]

AI powered telescopes are one of the more interesting expensive gadgets because they make astronomy easier for people who do not want to spend months learning alignment, tracking and image processing. The downside is that automation can also remove some of the craft. If the telescope finds, tracks and processes everything for you, is that still astronomy as a hobby, or is it more like ordering pretty space photos from your garden?

[Idle Mila]

Anything that gets more people looking at the sky is a win. Gatekeeping astronomy helps nobody

[Hollow]

I get the concern, but beginners still learn plenty once they start asking what they are seeing

[WaveFunction74]

The premium pricing is hard to swallow when traditional setups can do more for less money

[Sienna74]

I like the idea for families and schools. One good night with an easy telescope can hook people for life