Dell’s Louise Quennell: AI PCs as a “True Digital Partner”
The future of computing is AI, with AI PCs poised to accelerate enterprise capacity to handle more complex AI workloads.
An AI PC is a personal desktop, laptop or workstation designed to run AI workloads or AI-optimised apps. Speaking with AI Magazine, Louise Quennell, CSG Director of Dell Technologies UK, explains that they differ from a traditional computer thanks to a dedicated neutral processing unit (NPU).
“With an NPU, the PC no longer needs to rely solely on the CPU or GPU for processing and performance, meaning the device benefits from more intelligent processing, enhancing performance and unlocking a new level of efficiency and productivity for the end user,” Louise explains.
“With dedicated NPUs, AI-enabled PCs can simultaneously process AI-intensive tasks, such as image recognition, natural language processing and machine learning without compromising the performance of other applications.”
Louise explores more advantages and challenges of AI PCs in this exclusive interview below.
What are the primary use cases for AI PCs in business environments, and how do they enhance productivity?
With AI-enabled PCs, we can expect faster decision-making, streamlined workflows, and smarter data analysis. By combining the NPU's benefits to offload capabilities like auto-framing, background blur, and eye-tracking with the power efficiency of Intel Core Ultra processors, team members will be able to collaborate more effectively and benefit from up to 38% more battery life.
Content creation will get faster, as by distributing AI processing across the CPU, GPU and now NPU, users can create generative AI images over five times faster with Stable Diffusion, a text-to-image model. They'll be able to work more securely in a hybrid work environment as more ISVs continue to build applications for the AI PC.
How do AI PCs handle tasks differently from cloud-based AI services, and what are the advantages of local AI processing?
AI PCs offer the advantage of processing information directly on your device, which means your data, from personal files to the AI tasks you are completing, never leaves your control, ensuring greater privacy and security. This local processing power also translates to a faster, more responsive experience – thanks to AI PCs harnessing the combined power of the CPU, GPU, and NPU.
This combination, at least in our new AI PC range, offers ground-breaking processing speeds that can reach up to 45 trillion operations per second, ensuring AI-powered applications run smoothly and efficiently. Also, because your data isn't constantly being transferred to and from the cloud, battery life sees a significant boost as well.
While cloud-based AI remains valuable for large-scale tasks and specific use cases, AI PCs place the power of AI directly at your fingertips and are ideal for those who prioritise privacy, speed, and the freedom to work seamlessly, even offline.
How do AI PCs enhance user experience?
At their core, AI PCs aim to make technology less intrusive and more intuitive, allowing users to focus on what matters most. Dell Technologies research found that 84% of UK respondents believe that there will be greater human-machine partnerships within the next five years. AI PCs are clearly at the forefront of this, acting as intelligent digital partners to enhance existing human capabilities.
Not only are they tools businesses can use to boost productivity, but they also enhance user experiences by offering personalised processes through AI-based optimisation software.
With this, they can anticipate user needs and streamline workflows by researching information you need, sourcing existing information you have stored on your computer and facilitating creative collaboration.
What retraining will staff need to be able to effectively use AI PCs?
To effectively reap the benefits AI PCs can provide, staff may require retraining that helps them gain a better understanding of the AI-specific hardware. Gaining insight into how AI PCs can help them leverage the right tools for their role and comprehend the data that is available to them, all while ensuring they are using AI ethically and responsibly within corporate guidelines, will be paramount.
Regular training programmes are especially important to empower employees to make the most of AI PCs as the technology develops, ultimately helping to drive innovation and efficiency across business functions.
In the age of Gen AI, companies must invest equally in both technology and people, allocating the same resources to prepare our workforce as we do to acquire and deploy the latest technology. By doing so, we can ensure that our employees are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in the modern workplace.
What are the current limitations or challenges of AI PCs?
AI PCs are the natural next step in the evolution of PCs. However, financial implications are likely to be the first barrier to entry, as many may not understand the benefits the devices can bring at first; teams may struggle to highlight the devices as strategic investments that can boost employee productivity and efficiency.
Additionally, wider software support is a challenge and a crucial consideration for organisations to unlock the full potential of the technology. As wider software organisations and developers optimise existing and new applications that fully leverage AI PC capabilities, we are likely to see more uptake and demand.
Furthermore, ensuring data privacy and security within the user experience is paramount; user concerns must be addressed with robust safeguards and ethical AI guidelines implemented.
What are the potential challenges businesses might face when integrating AI PCs into their existing IT infrastructure?
Implementing AI technology can be challenging for organisations in any sector – our recent study found that 93% of UK businesses anticipate hurdles in AI adoption more broadly. While AI PCs are transformative, some require very specific IT considerations, including system compatibility and integration with existing infrastructure. In addition, financial implications and the rapidly evolving nature of AI technology necessitate careful planning and flexibility.
To effectively maximise their investments in AI infrastructure, businesses must consider partnering with experienced AI solution providers. The right partner ensures seamless integration with existing systems, maximising ROI and minimising disruption. They would also provide tailored training programs, empowering the workforce to leverage AI with confidence. By combining expert guidance with workforce development, businesses can navigate the complexities of AI adoption and unlock the organisation's full potential for growth, efficiency, and competitive advantage.
What security and privacy implications should businesses consider when adopting AI PCs?
Businesses adopting AI PCs firstly must proactively clarify and address any potential security and privacy implications or concerns. Because AI PCs are continuously learning from user data to personalise experiences and optimise performance, businesses must ensure robust data encryption and access control measures are implemented to prevent unauthorised access or breaches.
Regular employee training and transparency for data collection practices and user consent protocols are essential when it comes to building trust and, therefore, empowering employees to use the tools at their disposal effectively. Additionally, partnering with reputable AI PC providers who prioritise data security and comply with relevant privacy regulations will ensure risks are mitigated, and a culture of responsible AI is integrated from the start.
How do you envision AI PCs evolving over the next few years, what new capabilities might we expect to see and what will this bring?
In the near term, as we ask our devices to do more, we'll see PCs that use language modelling, language processing and machine learning capabilities to improve the user experience. This will require a new architecture that doesn't purely rely on the CPU or GPU for processing.
Next year, users will see new architectures that will have onboard AI processing capabilities with more memory, storage, and processing power—Next-Generation CPUs, GPUs, and the addition of NPUs and accelerators—to handle more complex AI workloads.
In the long term, we see the future PC becoming a true digital partner. PCs will move beyond driving human productivity to driving human performance. Today, most of Dell's command-and-control interactions are driven by you typing on a keyboard; the future will have additional non-text-based ways to prompt technology. Users will see a bi-directional experience between humans and PCs – imagine collaborating or co-creating with voice, visual commands and gestures.
PC experience will transition from searching to prompting, from reading to understanding, and from editing to directing. This won't just impact devices but the entire PC ecosystem.
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