Starting with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, quickly followed by Google Gemini (formerly Bard), Microsoft’s CoPilot, Meta AI, and several others, millions of Americans have unlocked the power of generative AI over the past two years. I did.
“Gen AI” tools have empowered consumers, students, employees, and others to create text, photos, and other content. You can create content ranging from creating a custom itinerary for a trip to Europe, to helping entrepreneurs draft a business plan, to creating free-form images. Used on websites, schools and workplace presentations.
Much of the content is free, but for highly customized results or more advanced media creation, such as AI-generated video on demand, many of these services require a paid subscription.
Whether via a website or an app, gen AI to date has primarily been an online “cloud” application and requires an internet connection.
But as you shop for new gadgets this fall and winter, perhaps as holiday gifts for family members, you’ll likely see hardware-based AI as a key selling point for many of the digital devices you’re considering. .
This means that AI is becoming embedded in the technology itself.
For example, new laptops are billed as “AI PCs” with “CoPilot+” built into the Windows operating system. Apple is preparing “Apple Intelligence” for iPhone 15 and 16 with iOS 18. Samsung is promoting Galaxy AI across its mobile devices, with Samsung Bespoke AI-powered home appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines coming out.
So why should we build AI into our hardware?
““Many people are fascinated by AI as they find ways to make their lives and work more efficient,” says Micro Center News, the news division of the popular computer and electronics retailer founded in 2006. says editor-in-chief Dan Ackerman. 1979.
“And local AI has several advantages over cloud AI, including improved privacy and security,” Ackerman continues. “For example, you may not want to upload everything to the cloud, such as tax-related information or company-specific documents that you don’t want to share publicly.”
“Cloud-based generative AI certainly has its place, but the future will be a hybrid model,” predicts Ackerman. “I think a lot of what we’re doing is really going to be focused on local AI for privacy, speed, cost and efficiency reasons, so I think almost every new laptop or desktop going forward will have It doesn’t just have a CPU and a GPU. [for graphics performance]But it’s the NPU, which is the neural processing unit that handles the AI and can run these large-scale language models and image creation locally. ”
Not all technology experts are convinced by the value proposition of AI on devices.
“Consumers are actually becoming more confident about what AI will deliver in terms of return on investment,” said Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at Creative Strategies, a Silicon Valley-based market research firm. “I haven’t.”
Milanesi points out that devices with AI tend to be more expensive than devices without. For example, the Dell XPS 13 with the new Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processor (256V series) with AI has an initial cost of $1,399, while the initial cost of the Dell XPS 13 laptop with the 1st generation Intel Core Ultra series Cost is $1,099. Processor (both with equivalent specifications).
“For certain products, like smartphones, something around the camera or something intuitive like ‘Circle to Search’ might be the best elevator pitch for AI. You don’t go to the store just for the sake of it,” Milanesi believes. It will be done if all other requirements are met. ”
Google Gemini on Android devices
Google’s Circle to Search, which Milanesi mentioned, is available on some Android smartphones such as Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices, and allows users to press and hold the Home button and search for You can draw anywhere with your finger (or stylus). Shoot a cool landmark for a social media post or an actress for a Netflix show, and your phone instantly performs an online image search and displays relevant information.
This works in any app, and the search results are displayed in the bottom half of the screen, so you don’t have to exit the app to accomplish this task (and then you can save, share, etc.). Circle to Search can also be used in real-world environments. For example, if you like the shoes the person in front of you in line at the supermarket is wearing, point your camera at them (you don’t even have to take a photo). Circle an item to see brand, price, and more. The search circle also works with text.
Similarly, Samsung’s Galaxy phones have integrated generative editing features that use AI to analyze photos and let you remove shadows on someone’s face, fix crooked photos, and even help Billy with his grandma. We’ll suggest ways to improve your photos, such as deleting photos that give you a “bunny” look. The ears were behind her back. You can also have fun by isolating a figure like a skateboarder who is only half a foot in the air, and then repositioning the figure to make it appear as if they are 8 feet above the ground, or even upside down.
(Each time gen AI scales an image, a watermark appears in the bottom left of the image and in the metadata to indicate that the image has been scaled.)
“Since the launch of the Galaxy S24 earlier this year, 75% of our users have actively engaged with our AI features,” Drew Blackard, vice president of mobile product management at Samsung Electronics America, told USA TODAY. We recently discovered that our Galaxy AI feature was used 18 million times by S24 series users in just one week.
“This kind of data shows that consumers clearly want this,” Blackcard added.
In partnership with Google Gemini, Samsung’s Galaxy AI also lets you transcribe calls live with people who speak another language and summarize conversations with bulleted highlights. Chat Assist, on the other hand, includes enhanced messaging features such as suggested replies and proofreading.
But what do customers say?
HP is one of many computer manufacturers with AI PCs that bundle CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs.
“Once customers understand what’s possible with AI on their devices, it’s a no-brainer,” said Sam Chang, senior vice president and president of Consumer PC Solutions at HP.
“You save money because you don’t have to pay subscription fees and it’s more secure and private. [than the cloud]By running the model locally, we get a faster response,” Chan said in an interview at the company’s annual HP Imagine event in Palo Alto in late September.
Bringing back the “personal” to your computer
According to semiconductor giant Intel, AI PC is the fastest growing PC segment and Intel is the leading provider in this segment, having shipped more than 15 million devices since December 2023 and by the end of the year. We plan to ship more than 40 million units in 2020. says the company.
“Customers are very excited about AI PCs powered by Intel Core Ultra CPUs,” said Chris Tobias, general manager of America’s Technology and Global Platform ISV Team Lead at Intel Corporation. Understood by consumers. ”
“This confusion can deter people from adopting new PCs,” adds Tobias. “The perception that AI is ‘scary’ or ‘unnecessary’ stems from a lack of awareness of its potential benefits.”
Tobias points out that people are already using AI on a daily basis, often without realizing it, through things like voice assistants, photo enhancements, and grammar checkers.
“When consumers understand how AI on their PCs can personalize their experiences, streamline workflows, and improve performance, especially in a seamless and secure environment, they will be more willing to adopt AI. There is a tendency.”
“Unlike free web-based AI tools, AI on your PC allows for local processing, which makes your data more secure, reduces latency, and improves performance,” Tobias added. Masu.
Beyond language models and image creation, AI PC also helps extend battery life, smarter and faster video editing for content creators, and analyzes your own content for a more customized experience. You can also.
Gartner predicts AI PCs will grow 165% year over year through 2025 and account for 43% of PCs, Tobias said. This also includes products from Intel competitors such as AMD and Qualcomm.
Apple health updates:Recent changes by Apple are focused on health technology. Experts think this is a big deal.
On October 1st, Windows introduced new features such as “Click to Do” (which simplifies workflow by placing an interactive overlay on the screen, allowing you to see suggested quick actions on top of images and text). We are excited to announce that new Copilot+ PC features are coming soon. Improved Windows Search (find files by describing them in your own words). “Photo Super Resolution” (enhance low-resolution photos to high-quality images without worrying about them looking blurry or pixelated).
Apple is also going all-in on AI
The much-hyped iPhone 16 isn’t ready for launch just yet, but the AI (what Apple calls “Apple Intelligence”) is expected to be available sometime in October. It’s a suite of tools and technologies that allow users to perform some previously unavailable tasks on their iPhones, while protecting their privacy, the company says.
Let AI help you draft emails, iMessages, and other texts. To create images based on what you ask for as a “prompt” (request). Record, transcribe, and summarize audio. And it has a smarter Siri that’s more conversational and contextual, along with many other AI features.
Similar to Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices, iPhone users will soon be able to remove unwanted subjects in their photos, along with other useful AI tools. Speaking of photos, by the end of the year Apple Intelligence will help iPhone users take advantage of new touch and pressure-sensitive camera control buttons on the right side of their iPhone to analyze what they point the camera lens at, like identifying dog breeds. We plan to make it possible.
But then again, Apple Intelligence is more MIA than AI at this point. But it’s just around the corner. If the consumer wants it.
Mark Saltzman will host.Tech It Out podcast andtechnological impact TV show and author of an upcoming book,Apple Vision Pro for Beginners (Wiley)
