GenAI and the PC revolution

By Sam Burd, President, Client Solutions Group, Dell Technologies

Three years ago, we talked about the Renaissance of the PC. While the PC has always helped us connect and collaborate, in 2020, at the height of work-from-home and virtual learning, we saw just how critical the PC is to all aspects of our lives.

It was at that time we laid out our vision for the future, outlined where our investments were going and predicted how the PC-human experience would evolve. 

Now, we have another pivotal moment at our fingertips. This time it’s with generative AI (GenAI). The advances we’ll see from GenAI will compare to the introduction of the PC 40 years ago when it brought unseen levels of productivity to the world. But what exactly does this mean for the future of the PC? How will GenAI shape the PC-human experience? 

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First, the here and now

To understand the future opportunities of AI, let’s first look at where we have been and where we are today. Chances are you’ve been using some type of AIin your daily life already (let’s not forget AI and machine learning have been around for a while).  We saw the opportunity for PCs to help drive human productivity and became an early AI adopter, making our PCs more intelligent, self-aware and user aware.

The opportunities of GenAI – near term

GenAI will influence how we live and work. While there’s still a lot to imagine, AI-enabled PCs are increasingly becoming part of this discussion. We saw how GenAI will unlock new levels of productivity with the announcement of Microsoft Copilot. Demo after demo we observed how PCs will collect, collate and create information faster than ever before. This puts ideas at the center, letting you shift your time to creativity, problem-solving and innovation. 

We’re working closely with Microsoft as they roll out new Copilot features (and all Windows 11 users can start realising these benefits today!). But we won’t stop there. You’ll see us focused on being the leading PC provider for the AI era, with additional emphasis and investments centered around intelligence, security and being a trusted end-to-end AI advisor. 

Then, as we ask our devices to do more, it will require PCs that use language modeling, language processing and machine learning capabilities to improve the user experience. Running these AI applications locally on PCs brings a lot of efficiencies like cost effectiveness, improved privacy and security, reduced latency and sustainability benefits.

It will also require a new architecture that doesn’t purely rely on the CPU or GPU for processing. We’re actively working with partners throughout the industry to make this new architecture a reality in 2024. We can’t wait to show you more.

The possibilities of GenAI – long term

Looking beyond the next few years, we see your future PC as a true digital partner. PCs will move beyond driving human productivity to driving human performance. This will require you to reimagine how you work with the familiar laptop and desktop of today.

For example, instead of mostly command-and-control interactions driven by you typing on a keyboard, there will be additional non-text-based ways to prompt technology to have a bi-directional experience between humans and PCs. Imagine a future where you can collaborate or co-create with voice, visual commands and gestures.

Envision your PC interpreting your mood, facial expression, tone of voice or even a change in the way you type for a much richer experience that delivers the result you are looking for, how you will best receive it. Your PC experience will transition from searching to prompting, from reading to understanding, from editing to directing. 

It’s exciting to think about what’s to come, not just for devices, but the entire PC ecosystem. We take our cues from human experiences to drive human progress, and our broad portfolio of products, solutions and services will play a critical role in powering this future. 

We are at an inflection point

I’ve been in the tech industry for 30 years. It’s always been fast-paced and exciting, but the opportunity we have ahead is unlike anything we’ve seen since PCs were introduced 40 years ago. We’d be lying if we said we have all the answers – we don’t. The collateral benefits alone are so immense. But I can tell you humans will remain at the core of progress.

Between new software developments, new architectures on the horizon, new services capabilities and our ongoing explorations that center around human connection and experience, we’re at an inflection point. End-user experiences will change for the better and quicker than ever. We’ve been handed an opportunity – go revolutionise the PC experience. We’re here for it.