Intel Study Reveals Productivity Paradox of AI PCs: Initial Challenges and Future Potential

AI PCs make users less productive due to learning curve

People just don't know how to talk to chatbots to get them to do useful things efficiently, Intel says Those using personal computers with built-in AI services currently are less productive than those using traditional PCs, according to a study conducted by Intel. The chipmaker, which is currently quite keen to see people buy the AI PCs sold by its hardware partners, came to this conclusion following a commissioned survey [PDF] of 6,000 people in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. The survey found that people lose on average 15 hours a week on what the firm pejoratively characterizes as "digital chores." Some of these mundane tasks - a set of activities that conveniently falls within the alleged ambit of chatbots, such as writing emails, transcribing meetings, managing files, and so on - can be delegated to generative AI, Chipzilla argues, thereby saving perhaps four of those 15 squandered hours per week. Intel cites a website that references an unspecified Anthropic study as the source of the four-hour per week savings figure for AI. There is academic research, however, that supports claims about AI assistance and productivity for certain tasks. Quantitative details aside, achieving the purported time savings looks like it will take further work. The study "highlighted that current AI PC owners spend longer on tasks than their counterparts using traditional PCs," according to Intel. As the study itself explains, "Many AI users spend a long time identifying how best to communicate with AI tools to get the desired answers or response. Organizations providing AI-assisted products must offer greater education in order to truly showcase the potential of 'everyday AI'." The Register asked Intel to quantify the task time toll incurred by an inexperienced AI PC user compared to work done on a familiar traditional PC. We've not heard back. Robert Hallock, Intel vice president and general manager of client AI and technical marketing, argues that the challenge for AI PC makers is reeducating knowledge workers, so AI tech is a help rather than a hindrance. "Our role as technology leaders is to support this transition to AI-assisted living and equip consumers with the knowledge they need to use an AI PC efficiently and ethically," he said in a statement. Intel and its partners clearly have a lot of promotional work to do to convince the public that they can benefit from AI PCs. According to the study, 86 percent of consumers have never heard of or used an AI PC. Lack of familiarity with AI PCs leads to what the study describes as "misconceptions," which include the following: 44 percent of respondents believe AI PCs are a gimmick or futuristic; 53 percent believe AI PCs are only for creative or technical professionals; 86 percent are concerned about the privacy and security of their data when using an AI PC; and 17 percent believe AI PCs are not secure or regulated. Getting the word out about the wonders of AI appears to have some impact on AI PC appeal. Just 32 percent of respondents unfamiliar with AI PCs said they'd consider purchasing one for their next upgrade, whereas among those who have already used an AI PC, that figure rises to 64 percent. So far, however, AI PC evangelism among those making the devices isn't having much impact on PC sales. ®

Using an AI PC may actually make users less productive -- for now

Once hurdles are overcome, it could save hours on administrative work New research has claimed workers using AI PCs might actually end up being less productive than their counterparts using more conventional PCs - at least to begin with. An Intel study of 6,000 participants from a handful of European countries highlighted a number of challenges related to integrating AI tools into daily workflows, despite their promise of efficiency boosts. The figures suggest workers using AI PCs are spending more time on routine tasks than their peers, likely due to the learning curve required to get up to speed with the new tech. Mundane tasks, like writing emails, organizing files and transcribing meetings, look to be taking considerable time and effort as users adapt to these systems, however the true benefit of artificial intelligence beyond this initial learning curve is yet to be revealed. However, the potential reach is large - workers currently waste 51 minutes searching for files, 67 minutes summarizing documents, 72 minutes writing emails, 56 minutes organizing inboxes, 59 minutes taking note meetings and 53 minutes scheduling calls each week. AI tools have been sold with the promise of reducing the burden of these administrative tasks. "Our role as technology leaders is to support this transition to AI-assisted living and equip consumers with the knowledge they need to use an AI PC efficiently and ethically," noted Intel's VP and GM of client AI and technical marketing, Robert Hallock. Intel is currently seeing revenues plummet as it loses out to other rivals in the chipmaking business, like Nvidia and AMD, who have had more success in the market. However figures from Canalys figures have claimed AI PCs now account for one in five of all PCs shipped. "Despite the positive momentum, significant work must still be done to convince both channel partners and end customers of the benefits of AI-capable PCs," commented Principal Analyst Ishan Dutt.

An Intel-commissioned study on AI PCs says AI PCs are good, actually

What is an AI PC, and do I need one? That's a question I've been asked quite a lot in the past year, along with "who exactly do you think you are" and "why don't you get a haircut". Anyway, it's a complicated question to answer. But if you've been internally debating the merits of AI PCs, Intel has prepared a document just for you, entitled "Reclaim your day: The impact of AI PCs on productivity" (PDF warning). It's based on a recently commissioned study by the chip giant in which 6,000 people aged 18 and over across Germany, the UK, and France were surveyed on their computer usage habits, awareness of AI PCs, and how they'd use the time they'd gain if they bought in to the wonderful world of AI-enhanced personal computing. And believe it or not, it's rather positive towards the whole concept. "AI PCs can save people hours weekly through built-in artificial intelligence with features like accelerated task processing, enhanced privacy, and adaptive learning" says the report, and it's got some figures to back it up. According to the study, the "hidden cost of computer chores" stacks up pretty quickly, with 74.63 minutes a week on average lost to "analysing data". Compiling data was said to take up just over an hour of participants time, while 78.62 minutes were lost on average coding. That seems high for a sample size of 6,000, but then it'd only take a reasonable number of full-time coders thrown into the mix to bump that average up, so I can buy it. The good news is, AI PCs are great at this sort of stuff, at least according to Intel's study. Under the heading "quantifying the AI advantage", productivity gain is said to be more than 240 minutes saved weekly on routine tasks, which is pointed out to be "longer than the average length of a flight from London to Malta". Okay then. There's some odd methodology going on here in places, too. 44% of French participants are said to believe that AI PCs are "a gimmick or futuristic", which seem like wildly different terms to use in one question. Another interesting stat is that 86% of participants said they were concerned about privacy and security of their data when using an AI PC, although only 17% believe that AI PCs are not secure or regulated. Again, that second metric seems to be throwing in two (this time slightly different) terms into the question. After all, something can be viewed as secure and not regulated, or indeed, regulated but not secure. The report also identifies an "education gap" that it says shows a greater need for users to understand AI implementation and how to use it. "Many AI users spend a long time identifying how best to communicate with AI tools to get the desired answers or response. Organisations providing AI-assisted products must offer greater education in order to truly showcase the potential of 'everyday AI'." So what could we do with all this time saved by correctly using an AI PC? Well, the study asked the participants, and they came up with some expected responses. 62% said they would spend more time with family, 51% said they'd catch up with friends, and 40% indicated they would cook more. Me personally, I'd take more windy walks on the beach. In all seriousness though, it's of no real surprise that, when asking people what they'd do if they had more free time, they come up with a variety of ideas. It does seem to be missing the point a touch, however. As I've pointed out previously in regards to AI avatars and other, time-saving implementations of AI, the problem here is not so much that AI isn't useful, more that it's in danger of making humans less so. And that's a concerning thing. After all, any of us with an office job can look at the list of "computer chores" here identified by the study as being much improved, and see a fair number of the roles they're employed to perform. Email writing. Filing documents. Scheduling calls. Video editing. Photo editing. Copywriting. Analysing data. It's wonderful to imagine that an AI PC can help with these mundane tasks, right up until the moment that you realise that if an AI can do it well enough to satisfy the demand, there might not be much of a reason left to employ you. And as to whether employers would simply let you wander off while AI did your work for you, so you could enjoy your free time? Forgive me, but I really don't think so. Still, 92% of full-time employees said that having more time back in their day would help them achieve greater work life balance, which probably comes as no surprise to those that know where bears go to the bathroom and which religion the Pope practices. With 41% of respondents saying they would consider an AI PC for their next upgrade, though, it looks like these concerns won't necessarily hold back many consumers from buying an AI PC. That, and the fact that major manufacturers like AMD and, err, Intel, have launched laptop chips that feature an NPU for AI processing by default. Oh, and AI-powered Copilot Windows integration is very much a thing, although it may be on the cusp of simply being called Windows Intelligence instead. So one way or another, your next laptop purchase is likely to be an AI PC regardless. As a result, this is all a bit elementary really, but -- and you can call me cynical, scaremongering, or simply a negative ninny if you like -- I've still yet to see why AI PCs are a good thing for the future of working. And it'll take more than a study commissioned by a manufacturer with this much skin in the game to convince me otherwise.