8mo ago

Whomp-whomp: AI PCs make users less productive

www.theregister.com

AI PCs make users less productive due to learning curve

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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.
I guess we don't have to worry about our data because the people selling us the machines tell us that our concerns are a misconception.
Also kind of the manufacturer to tell us that their gimmick is not, in fact, a gimmick
- In theory, an "AI PC" (please imagine giant eye-rolls along with the scare quotes) has the hardware to run models locally instead of shunting stuff off to OpenAI or Anthropic for processing. So in theory, it's more private and secure than similar functionality on a "traditional PC".
  In practice...wtf knows what Windows is doing anyway? Or what it will do with the next OS update? Same for macOS. On the Mac side, Apple keeps talking about their local AI and private cloud AI, and yet they're still partnering with OpenAI for ChatGPT integration. I don't want to use anything that even has the capability to send my shit to OpenAI, for the same reason I don't like to put poison in my fridge no matter how clearly labelled it might be.
- Ultra book is not a gimmick. Foldable phones are NOT a gimmick. Touchscreen laptops ARE NOT gimmicks. Dear God why does no one listen to us when we say our "features" aren't gimmicks!?
  
  I actually love my foldable Razr. I never could afford one as a kid, and the smaller form-factor is actually really nice.
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.
In other words, of the self selecting group excited enough about the technology to try one of these, 46% wouldn’t buy another. I can’t help but wonder when these companies will realize that there is no market for clippy 2.0.
- No one trust Microsoft. Users are scared and don't see value, nerds know Microsofts MO and know it will be spyware once the news day changes.
- 36%
  
  106%
According to the study, 86 percent of consumers have never heard of or used an AI PC.
Count me, someone enthusiastic enough about technology to be discussing it on a niche online community, as part of that 86%. Since when is an "AI PC" a thing? What does it even mean, that they've pre-installed a chatbot?
- Basically yes, a chatbot and the ability to do simple actions (agents). So in their fantasy universe, instead of clicking on Firefox and typing a query in the search bar, you'd ask the desktop to search for something, and it would do those steps.
  That's all just an excuse though, to explain why they need to collect all your local data. :P
News just in, people are more productive using tools they're familiar with.
I don't like them because of the whole call home but I find this hard to believe given how often I am basically re-looking things up. The ideal chatbot would be trained on just your data or your orgnizations data.

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