HP Inc. helps transform the future of work with AI personal computers
In introducing a portfolio of this new hardware, HP’s vision is to integrate AI into everyday workflows—delivering greater AI capability and capacity to consumers and enterprises
Hardware is a hot commodity in the current artificial intelligence revolution, as we detail in our Tech Trends 2025 report. Beyond the headlines about the growing importance of chipmakers and graphics processing units (GPUs), there’s a new category of hardware that could deliver AI capability and capacity into the hands of more consumers and enterprises: AI personal computers (PCs).
“Doing AI in the cloud is expensive, but doing it locally on an AI PC is virtually free and virtually unlimited,” says Alex Thatcher, senior director of AI PC experiences at HP Inc., the multinational manufacturer of computers, displays, printers, and mobile solutions. “Processing AI on edge devices also enables privacy and security.”1 Going forward, Thatcher believes that AI will be hybrid—some jobs will be better suited for the cloud, while others should be processed on edge devices such as PCs and smartphones.
HP Inc. has rolled out a broad portfolio of AI PCs that aim to transform how we work. The new models have a neural processing unit that can run AI workloads with greater speed and efficiency than chips like GPUs. HP’s vision for AI PCs is to integrate AI into everyday workflows, leading to time savings and improved job satisfaction. For example, a built-in chatbot on its AI PC line includes an analysis feature for user data. Any document fed to the chatbot system becomes part of an AI-powered library that can be queried instantly. Thatcher says, “We're spending a lot less time on tedious work, like meeting minutes, notes, or parsing through large data analysis. Instead, AI is changing our focus to the more creative, innovative work, the parts of our jobs that we love to do."
Thatcher also believes a key application of AI PCs will be in creative fields. The devices can drastically reduce the time required for projects such as video editing and image processing. "On a conventional PC, removing motion blur from an image takes about two minutes. On an AI PC, it takes eight seconds. That’s about 14 times faster," Thatcher says. Moreover, AI PCs are designed to work efficiently even in environments with limited connectivity. This is particularly beneficial for professionals who need to work on the go, such as on airplanes or at customer sites without reliable Wi-Fi.
While efficient, accessible hardware offers clear benefits, it also presents challenges. One significant hurdle is the fragmented nature of software development tools, which makes building AI models complex. To tackle this, HP provides tools that enable teams to create shared projects in minutes and to connect data sets with collaborators who are building AI models.
Another concern related to on-device AI is ensuring that expensive GPUs in the cloud are well utilized. HP has taken steps to address this: “We’ve enabled every HP workstation to share its AI resources across the enterprise. Imagine the ability to search for idle GPUs and use them to run your workloads. We’re seeing up to 7X improvement in on-demand computing acceleration, and this could soon be industry standard,” Thatcher says.
Thatcher’s team is also committed to addressing a third and major challenge around AI fairness and ethics. "We are now integrating the ability for data scientists to effectively detect and correct hallucinations, model drift, and bias. This is all about creating more reliable, efficient models," he adds.
As the technology continues to evolve, HP is committed to managing change and supporting the AI ecosystem. For example, the company is educating independent software vendors about new PC capabilities, so they can integrate AI into their applications. Thatcher believes that the refresh in devices will be akin to the major transition from command-line inputs to graphical user interfaces that changed PCs in the 1990s. “The software has fundamentally changed, replete with different tools and ways of collaborating,” he says. “Hardware should accelerate that change and make it easier for enterprises to create and deliver AI solutions.”
Looking forward, HP's vision for AI PCs is ambitious. As Thatcher puts it, "AI is going to evolve every task and every person. It’s already stunning to see just how much our own jobs are changing on a day-to-day basis. We’re not just creating new hardware; we’re redefining the future of work, making it more efficient, enjoyable, and fulfilling for everyone.”