Millions of Canadians have already unlocked the capabilities of “generative AI” – beginning with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which launched exactly two years ago – and quickly followed by Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, Grok (from Elon Musk), and several others.
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“Gen AI” tools have empowered people to create text, photos, and other content – from building a custom itinerary for a trip to Greece, to helping draft business plans for entrepreneurs, to creating images that can be freely used on a website or presentation at school or work. Much of the content is free, though more advanced features require a paid subscription.
Regardless, gen AI to date has been mostly an online “cloud” application, which requires an internet connection.
But things are about to change.
Much of the heavy lifting is moving to your device itself – and with it comes several benefits.
While some mobile phone platforms have started to do this, you’ll notice the most significant change on your Windows PC.
If it’s been a while since you’ve purchased a laptop, you’ll likely be blown away at what an “AI PC” can do.
What’s an AI PC?
At the risk of getting too geeky, a computer’s “CPU” (central processing unit) is the engine that drives general performance of the machine, while a “GPU,” or graphics processing unit, is used primarily for rendering video and 3D graphics (important for gamers).
Today, an AI PC also includes an “NPU” under the hood – a neural processing unit – to handle AI-related requests.
Again, forgive the jargon soup. But you get the idea.
“An AI PC is a personal computer equipped with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities built directly into the hardware,” confirms Asma Aziz, director of marketing for Americas territories at Intel Canada. “This integration allows the PC to perform tasks like enhancing the quality of your images, greatly improving battery life, and even assisting with real-time language translation –automatically and more efficiently than traditional PCs.”
AI PCs from Intel are powered by Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processors.
Laptop shoppers may notice a dedicated “Copilot+” button on the keyboard, too, which wakes up the AI assistant for your question or command (called a “query”).
“Once customers understand what’s possible with ‘AI on device,’ it’s a no-brainer,” says Sam Chang, senior vice president and division president of Consumer PC Solutions at HP. “You’re getting cost savings since you don’t need to pay for a subscription, it’s more secure and private (than the cloud), and you get a faster response by running the model locally,”
Additional benefits of an AI PC
As hinted at by Aziz and Chang, AI PCs can help you get more done in less time.
AI PCs render AI prompts faster, plus it doesn’t need to share some queries with others online, such as info tied to your taxes or a proprietary company document – to help build the “large language model,” like how ChatGPT works – and so it’s more secure and personalized since it combs through your own info.
For example, ask your laptop “Show me the email where I was promised a raise” or “Where are the photos from my daughter’s last birthday?”
There are several business-related benefits, too.
Allan Kambeitz, category officer at Best Buy Canada, says AI can also help with mundane, time-consuming or complicated tasks.
“An AI PC provides an increased level of productivity, such as simplifying presentations and spreadsheets, by asking AI to do, or to help do, these normally complex tasks,” Kambeitz says.
“There are enhanced security features, such as biometric authentication to keep data safe, while real-time noise suppression and video quality adjustments make virtual meetings smoother and clearer – an important benefit for Canada’s diverse workforce and remote work trends,” adds Aziz.
AI PC sales are promising
AI PCs are the fastest growing PC segment, says Intel, with the company saying it has shipped more than 15 million devices since December 2023 – and on track to ship more than 40 million before the end of the year.
This space is forecasted by Gartner to grow 165% year over year into 2025 and account for 43% of all PCs, which includes products from Intel competitors like AMD and Qualcomm Snapdragon.
“Based on the early success of Copilot+ Windows PCs, we are confident that AI PCs will be popular, especially now that there are so many to choose from,” Kambeitz says.
Patrick O’Rourke, editor-in-chief at Pocket-lint, a technology publication focused on portable devices, agrees AI tasks handled locally can result in “greater efficiency” but clarifies some features still require an internet connection – such as asking the AI to create recipe ideas for hosting a dinner party attended by pescatarians.
“Copilot+ allows you to do things like add real-time subtitles to video content, create various studio-like video effects, and view your activity via Recall (in beta), which allows you to view your PC’s activity history,” O’Rourke explains. “Whether or not these AI-powered features are useful will depend on how you use your computer.”
What to look for in an AI PC
All major computer manufacturers have embraced AI PCs, and so stick with brands you know and trust, such as ASUS, HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer, LG, Samsung, MSi, and Microsoft Surface.
If you’re into gaming, popular PC brands with AI features include ROG (ASUS), Legion (Lenovo), Omen (HP), Alienware (Dell), Nitro/Predator (Acer), and Razer.
Next, decide on a form factor, such as laptop, 2-in-1 (touchscreen laptop that converts into tablet, by bending back or removing the screen), desktop or all-in-one (where the guts of the computer are tucked in behind the monitor).
Laptop shoppers should test out the weight, especially those who travel, but know that all Copilot+ laptops have at least 12 hours of battery, so you’re good there. Some laptops last twice as long as that, between charges, depending on the application.
Apple all-in on AI, too
For Mac shoppers, “Apple Intelligence” is Apple’s take on AI, which also works on the latest iPhone and iPad, and it, too, is a suite of tools and technologies to empower users – while protecting your privacy at the same time, says the company.
Ask the AI to help draft emails and messages and other text for you; create images based on what you ask for; record, transcribe, and summarize audio; and a smarter Siri that’s more conversational and contextual.
Marc Saltzman is the host of the Tech It Out podcast and the author of the book, Apple Vision Pro For Dummies (Wiley).