How AI-Enabled PCs Improve the End-User Experience

We’re seeing a growing awareness in the marketplace of AI-enabled PCs — computers with chips such as the Intel Core Ultra processor that improve artificial intelligence capabilities by integrating new neural processing units (NPUs) with traditional central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs). But not all business and AI leaders understand the benefits that these machines can bring to their end users.

At this stage of the AI hype cycle, a bit of skepticism is warranted. After all, not every company that has poured money into AI initiatives in recent years has seen a strong return on its investment. However, AI-enabled PCs can help users save time by dramatically improving productivity. Further, they can greatly enhance the overall quality of the experience on a PC. Organizations that deploy AI-enabled PCs can expect their end users to see four important benefits.

Much of the discussion about AI in the workplace has centered on the idea of robots taking over human jobs. But really, many of the benefits of AI lie in the technology’s ability to make tasks easier and less time-consuming for human workers. One extremely simple — but extremely powerful — illustration of this is the improved battery life of AI-enabled PCs. By managing and modifying battery operations through deep learning and machine learning algorithms, AI-enabled PCs can help ensure optimal efficiency and longevity. As a result, users can be more productive on the go, without having to worry that they’ll run out of the power they need to do their work.

Video collaboration has become a cornerstone technology in most workplaces, thanks in part to the rise of remote and hybrid work that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. An AI-enabled PC can enhance the use of collaboration products such as Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex and Zoom by performing background video features more smoothly while decreasing CPU use and power requirements.

We’re also seeing greater use of AI for meeting transcription, summaries, action items and even scheduling, which helps make the collaboration experience more meaningful and productive.

An AI-enabled PC can dramatically speed up processing-intensive workflows or even unlock new experiences. For example, artists and designers are likely to see a major reduction in their rendering time, allowing them to complete work faster than they would otherwise be able to. This gives them time back fine-tune their current projects or take on new ones.

In addition to intelligently optimizing battery life, AI-enabled machines can efficiently run security programs that previously would have taken up far too much CPU capacity to be effective. (What good is a security solution, after all, if your laptop is bricked?) These tools can reduce the likelihood of data breaches, cut down on escalation tickets, and ultimately save money and give time back to IT departments. Additionally, because AI-enabled PCs give users the option to engage with AI tools without sending their data to the cloud, they can add another layer of protection for organizations looking to safeguard confidential information.

AI is only going to grow over the next few years, at which point owning a laptop without an NPU might feel a bit like owning a mobile phone without a camera. By embracing AI-enabled PCs today, organizations can set their employees up to take advantage of the innovations happening throughout the technology industry and prevent users from feeling left behind.