GenAI inside: Personal computers improving productivity, collaboration

Technology will help people be more productive, open a new era of collaboration

Discussions around generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) swing back and forth between the excitement about the opportunity it offers to humans and the various threats that accompany its adoption. Trust becomes central to the positive use of AI and to capture its full potential. So far, most people are exposed to GenAI through web browsers and Cloud, experiencing the reliability, speed and privacy challenges that come with any online-only, open-access and corporate-owned platforms.
 

AI will change the role of personal computers (PC) as dramatically and fundamentally as the internet did, redefining what a PC is and does. The AI PC will empower more people to become creators of technology, rather than just consumers of it. AI is going to put the ‘personal’ back in the personal computer, customising experience in ways that we have never experienced before.

 

Put GenAI on a PC and users can get all the benefits without the drawbacks. AI is emerging from the shadows – it now largely operates in the background by quietly automating processes, improving performance and changing how humans interface with technology through natural language and conversation – and the need for international cooperation is becoming essential, especially regarding regulation. How one operates GenAI in a safe, secure and trustworthy environment becomes critical. The reinvention of the PC as a safe companion of humanity in this GenAI journey is going to be one of the most remarkable accompanying transformations, like what mobile telephony did for the telecom consumer in India.
 

AI PC will open a new era of collaboration, work automation and ways of connecting with the world around you. This new PC will provide more power to businesses to optimise their workflows and workplace efficiency. The initial deployment of AI-capable PCs in business settings targets various professionals, including those in research and development, developers, engineers, data analysts and artists. These early adopters stand to benefit from the enhanced processing power of AI-enabled PCs, particularly for specific tasks.
 

For instance, the process of identifying patterns and trends for data analysts could become significantly easier. Designers can provide rough sketches to AI, which can then build and iterate. Scientists will experience faster processing of complex models since data doesn’t need to travel to the Cloud and back. Developers and data analysts can use the AI capabilities of their PCs to swiftly identify trends in their data while being confident about the security of their information, which won’t leave for external servers.

 

The capabilities of the Indian information technology (IT) sector need no validation. We are hearing of the strong intent of IT software leaders to upskill their employees in AI and prepare their teams for the future. But the larger advantage of generative AI would be for millions of young Indian creators and freelance workers to unleash their creativity. The support of AI-powered PCs can make content creation easier and significantly improve audio-video quality and engagement with audiences during live sessions.
 

AI PCs will enable greater privacy and data security by offering applications the ability to reduce the risks associated with moving data to the Cloud. It will therefore be even more vital that organisations invest in advanced endpoint security.

I have never been as excited about the future of personal computing as I am now. With the right ethical and strategic approach, the AI PC revolution – its ability to make us more productive in how we work, live, play and enhance our ability to create and generate content – will be phenomenal.

The writer is senior vice-president & managing director, HP India