With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) around the world, it’s now common to see the term ‘AI’ being enveloped into attractive terms and identified as a key selling point in the tech industry. One such term is AI-powered. Today we’re outlining what ‘AI-powered’ means in the world of laptops. We’ve identified a few key features of AI-powered laptops at the moment and even added a few recommendations below for those who wish to get their hands on one. From performance optimisation to helping you find things you’ve forgotten - AI is quite the tool to have.
What makes an AI laptop?
AI-powered laptops start from the ground up. Unlike regular PCs, they also contain a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), sometimes referred to as an AI accelerator or deep learning processor. The NPU takes care of the AI work and ensures that your CPU and GPU aren’t being put under the pump with new features that rely heavily on AI. An NPU can process large amounts of data in parallel, which helps it perform trillions of operations per second. If this wasn’t good enough, it also uses far less power and is overall a lot more efficient than a CPU or GPU when it comes to AI tasks.
‘AI tasks’ is another broad term, and should be explained further. For many people, chatbots like ChatGPT come to mind when the term AI is mentioned. There’s much more to AI than just chatbots though, and diving deeper into the world of AI-powered laptops is a great way to understand some of the many hats that AI can wear. At its core, AI refers to the artificial intelligence of a machine. Essentially, AI is the study and development of software which enables machines to observe their environment and learn. It is because of this learning that machines are then able to act. When we as humans interact with AI, we are typically outlining a goal for it to try and achieve. In the context of AI-powered laptops, this concept can be seen in a range of features.
Some interesting AI features that are currently available
One of the most popular features in most AI-powered laptops is performance optimisation. Powered by AI, your laptop will adjust settings based on your activity. This is great because it allows you to switch between work, gaming, entertainment, meetings and more, without having to manually change settings along the way. While this is no doubt a positive, some will argue that they already move within their laptops and engage with various tasks, without paying much attention to the settings. The reality is that PCs have always performed best with a little fine tuning. It’s not ideal to play demanding games with the same settings that you use for sending emails because you won’t get the best performance. In fact, your game may not even run at all! Likewise, doing light internet browsing at max settings will have you running for the charger way more often than you should. Hence why AI power is a welcome addition, allowing you to get the best performance (or best efficiency) from your device. If you already happened to be proactive with adjusting settings, you can now save a bit of time, and if you used to travel around your laptop without a care in the world, you can now enjoy your machine in its most optimal form!
Laptop security can also be enhanced by AI. Software security that is. AI hasn’t quite reached a stage where it can physically stop someone from stealing your laptop! Through its monitoring and intelligence, AI-powered laptops can identify potential threats to your device and data, and deal with these as necessary. The extent of its response and ability will vary from laptop to laptop, so its important to be across your laptops AI security features and ensure they meet your security needs. Either way, having a computer with a brain of its own can definitely take the stress out of managing the security of your device and data. Even AI-powered laptops that stop short of taking conclusive action, can still help to identify potential threats, which is one less task for you, or a third-party security software that you’ve had to fork out for.
Microsoft has utilised AI and created Copilot+. Laptops designed to work with Copilot+ features are called Copilot+ PC's. It should be noted that Copilot+ is not the same as Copilot. The names have been a bit confusing for some. Microsoft's AI companion Copilot, which was introduced in 2023, is available through their website and has its own set of basic AI features but won't have the next-gen features that are specific to Copilot+. If you want to experience those features, look out for 'Copilot+ PC' when buying. Microsoft has set some specific parameters for laptops wanting to qualify as Copilot+ PCs, to ensure they can perform when it comes to the next-gen AI functions of Copilot+.
The forgetful folks among us will be happy to hear about Microsoft Copilot+. It enters the PC scene with a range of cool features, including Recall which will be available for testing this month (October 2024). This exciting feature will help users recall things they may have forgotten. Simply describe to the assistant what it is that you are trying to find and how you remember it, and the Recall function will search your PC for documents, emails, webpages and more! So far, the announcement hasn’t been received too well, with many concerned about security risks. While the feature can be turned off, it can’t be uninstalled from Copilot laptops, so bear this in mind and ultimately ensure you shop with the level of risk you deem acceptable, in mind.
Alongside many of the other new Copilot features is Cocreator. The creative and design industry has changed a lot since the arrival of AI and Cocreator builds on this. It helps you create artwork from prompts alone, be it drawing or text. While this feature may not be ground-breaking, having a laptop with a dedicated NPU designed to perform AI tasks will take any AI powered design experiences you have had so far, to another level.
So, are AI laptops worth buying?
Although the features outlined above are just a few of many, there’s no doubt that they are intriguing, and may have inspired some to start looking for ‘AI-powered’ when shopping for a new laptop. For those who aren’t quite convinced just yet, it’s worth noting that AI is still relatively new. The current range of features may not be what you need, but the reality is that the world appears to be running, head-first, towards AI. Much like webcams became a must-have during the pandemic, there may come a time where those of us who choose to stay connected to the online world will have to be equipped with AI, or be left behind. So, while there’s no rush just yet, choosing AI power when you buy your next laptop, certainly seems like a wise choice.
Check out a few AI-powered laptops currently available at PB Tech...
HP Spectre x360
The HP Spectre x360 range is already a popular option in the 2-in-1 market, and the inclusion of built-in AI makes this already great laptop even better, with optimisation on all fronts. The 2-in-1 form factor allows for AI tasks on the go, with enhanced portability in a laptop that’s built for productivity through both form and function.
MSI’s Stealth A16 AI+
MSI’s Stealth A16 AI+ range is also AI-powered, courtesy of MSI AI Engine. They are also officially Microsoft Copilot+ PCs, meaning they’re ready to go with the latest AI features. Being gaming laptops, they are a cool choice for those who are in the gaming market to try out AI functionality. This particular one has an RTX 4070 graphics card, which means you can get a lot of high-powered work done without the massive price tag of an RTX 4080 or 4090, especially since the RTX 4070 will be more than enough for a lot of people’s needs.
HP Omnibook
Powered by Snapdragon X Elite, the HP Omnibook is another top choice in the world of AI laptops. Users can now utilise HP AI Companion to make the most of their PC. HP promises the AI functionality will make your PC more personal every time you use it. While personalising a ‘personal computer’ may not sound like it’s reinventing the wheel, with the wide range of features available here from HP we definitely think the Omnibook is worth checking out.
MSI Prestige A16 AI+
If you want the quality that comes with MSI, but not the price that comes with a Stealth, opt for their ‘Prestige’ line which doesn’t offer quite the same amount of bulk in the graphics card department, but comes in as a much more suitable everyday laptop. That’s because this is a business and productivity laptop, and not gaming-focused like MSI’s Stealth range. If you’re among the many that don’t require a high-end dedicated graphics card, opt for something tailored to your productivity needs, such as the MSI Prestige.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16
Lastly, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 range proves to be a great option for the more intense AI users, given its selection of RTX 40 series GPU’s, all the way up to an RTX 4090. Although the NPU component in AI-powered laptops is important, having a solid GPU should not be forgotten and the ROG Zephyrus G16 range is certainly not lacking in that department. ASUS ROG was founded with the goal of creating the world’s most powerful and versatile gaming laptops, so if you’re a hardcore gamer, ASUS ROG likely has you covered.
