I was recently provided with a nice new laptop to use where this laptop is billed as an AI PC. Now the reason for the AI PC moniker is that the chipset included in the PC includes the usual central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU) but also a new neural processing unit (NPU). The new NPU is basically designed to take on AI based tasks but what difference does this make to a conventional laptop?
Making a charge go further
The key difference is the NPU is designed to take on common AI tasks but to do so at lower power levels than the CPU or GPU can do, where previously they would have needed to take this work on. The theory therefore is that in a laptop, where battery power is important, by using this new NPU the battery life of the laptop can be increased meaning it will work for longer periods on a single charge. So, if for example we are using Microsoft Teams and making calls where the background is being blurred or a fake background added, which is an AI task, a laptop with an NPU should be able to outlast a laptop without one, before needing to be recharged. And looking more long term, I would hope that this might also mean that the overall battery life and therefore lifespan for the device as a whole should be extended, which in schools is an important factor to consider. Now I note that it’s a little early to tell whether this is actually what happens and I doubt my time with the device and my usage of the device will be definitive in this area but I am looking forward to seeing if there are even signs that this might be the case.
And why would a single key matter?
Now the other key thing which struck me with the AI PC, and I note that this will seem such a minor thing, but in effect is quite notable, is the keyboard. The laptop I have been given comes with a Microsoft copilot key. It might not seem that this is that important, coming with a different keyboard, but from my initial few hours playing with the new device it has turned out to be quite important. Basically, the copilot key allows me to fire up copilot; now I am using the free version in edge rather than the paid for version. I quickly found myself tapping the copilot key and then speaking my prompts whereas previously I always typed them. I also found myself using copilot more frequently as it was now simply the tap of a key away. I note previously I kept ChatGPT and Gemini as default tabs which automatically open in my browser as I was aware that although I understand the power of AI and of Large Language Models (LLMs) I have also built up effective working practices and habits, which don’t involve AI. I was therefore conscious that I needed to find a way to make the use of an LLM convenient and easy so that I could more easily build the habit of introducing them into my normal workflows, so by having them open automatically I made sure a LLM was never that far away. That said, the single key on the keyboard seemed to make a difference in my tendency to use generative AI. It just seemed easier and more convenient when the thought occurred that an LLM would be of use, to tap the key with copilot instantly being fired up, ready for me to type, or better still, and more conveniently, speak my prompt.
Conclusion
Its rather early in my playing with this new AI PC although I can see some potential related to battery life, although I haven’t seen the evidence to back this up, however the more minor change, of having a copilot key has already had an impact on my workflows.
Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference, and in this case the little thing happens to be a single key, the copilot key.
Technology and Learning