Users on AI PCs slower, Intel sees problem in uneducated users

Generative artificial intelligence is credited with making digital office work more efficient and saving time – but according to a study by Intel, there is still a problem: the survey revealed that users on one of the new AI PCs, i.e. a computer with an NPU (Neural Processing Unit), spent more time on computer work than those sitting at a normal PC or laptop. Intel described this as a "worrying statistic".

There would certainly be potential for saving time with AI for the many routine tasks on the computer – According to Intel, users would spend an average of around 15 hours per week on tasks such as sorting emails in their inbox. But why don't AI PCs help? According to the chip manufacturer, one possible reason for this is that many AI users still spend a lot of time trying to figure out how best to communicate with AI chatbots to achieve the desired results.

A layer 8 problem?

For Intel, this means that there is still a great need for education. Companies that offer AI-supported products should therefore provide further instructions about implementation and use so that the potential of artificial intelligence can really be exploited.

The chip giant did not provide exact figures on how much slower users who are still experimenting with AI are compared to those using conventional PCs. According to Intel, 6,000 people in Germany, France and the UK were surveyed for the study, whereby no distinction was made between private and professional PC use.

AI PCs: little known, little bought

The AI PCs Intel is talking about are basically Windows laptops with integrated AI hardware and support for AI functions throughout the operating system. Microsoft has given them the label of "Copilot Plus PCs". In recent months, CPU manufacturers have introduced the Windows-on-ARM chip Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and the x86 processors Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" and AMD Ryzen AI 300 "Strix Point" processors, with which PC manufacturers and Microsoft hope to benefit from the AI boom.

However, they have not yet brought the hoped-for boost to the recently stagnating PC market, as the latest market figures show. Market researchers from IDC suspect that there is still a lack of suitable applications, which is why many customers do not see any advantage in AI PCs, which are in the premium segment, and prefer to wait and see. According to observers, the end of support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 is more likely to stimulate demand – Old Windows computers that are incompatible with Windows 11 will then have to be replaced or operated with alternative systems.

The Intel study also indicates that the concept of the AI PC has not yet reached users: 86% of consumers have never heard of an AI PC or used one. However, 41 percent could imagine considering an AI PC for their next upgrade. In Germany, the majority of respondents (28%) were still able to relate to the term AI PC.

(axk)