But what is a computer "with artificial intelligence" actually for?
Nearly every label in the shop says it now. What really changes compared with the computer you have, which features are exclusive to those models, and when it is worth paying for.
- Level
- beginner
- Time
- 10 minutes
- What you need
- Nothing
You walk into a shop for a laptop and half the labels say AI, or Copilot+ PC, or NPU. They cost a little more than the ones without. The assistant says they are “ready for artificial intelligence”, a phrase that means nothing you can check.
Here is what actually changes, because the answer is smaller than the label suggests, and for some people still interesting.
Processor (CPU): the computer's general-purpose brain, which does a bit of everything. NPU (Neural Processing Unit): an extra part specialised in one kind of calculation, the sort artificial intelligence needs, which it does very efficiently. TOPS: the number makers quote for how fast that part is. It is a theoretical maximum, and it is not always measured the same way from one brand to the next, so it tells you whether a model clears the required threshold, not that one machine is twice the other. On-device: the calculation happens inside your computer, with nothing sent over the internet.
What that extra part actually is
A computer “with AI” is an ordinary computer with one extra component inside, the NPU, specialised in artificial-intelligence calculations.
It does not make the computer faster at opening email, browsing or writing a document. It does one thing: when there is an AI task to run, it runs it on very little power. The ordinary processor could do the same work, but it would get hot and drain the battery, and so could the graphics chip where there is one, which is in fact faster but uses far more power.
From that follow the two real benefits, which nobody advertises because they sound duller than “artificial intelligence”: some tasks happen without anything going to the internet, and they happen without the battery collapsing.
To be called a Copilot+ PC, a computer has to clear a performance threshold for that part and have at least 16 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage. The interesting consequence is indirect: those minimums rule out laptops with too little memory, and memory is exactly what makes the difference to anyone’s daily use.
What they do extra, concretely
The features reserved to these machines are few and nameable.
Live captions with translation: whatever is playing on the computer, a video call, a video, a voice message, is transcribed and translated in real time in a strip on screen. It is the most useful of the group, and for anyone hard of hearing or working in another language it can justify the price on its own.
Webcam effects: background blur, framing that follows you, eye-contact correction, voice filtering. Worth knowing: the basic versions work on any computer that has any NPU at all, no Copilot+ required. Only some of the more elaborate effects are reserved for the more powerful models.
Image generation in Paint and edits in Photos: you draw a scribble and it becomes an image. Fun, rarely used.
Recall, the feature that periodically photographs your screen so you can find “that thing I had open on Tuesday” by searching in words. It is the most argued-over: at its first announcement it was pulled after researchers showed the stored snapshots contained readable passwords and payment details. It was rewritten and today it is on only if you switch it on, protected by encryption and by biometric unlock, and can be paused.
And then there is what is not exclusive, which is the most important part: the Copilot assistant works on any Windows PC, because it does not run on your computer, it runs on Microsoft’s servers. The AI features inside Word and Excel do not need the new hardware either: what they need is a separate subscription, which is a different expense altogether. Many people buy the “AI computer” to get Copilot, and they already had Copilot.
Your current computer is not obsolete for lacking an NPU. It still gets updates, still runs every program, and still reaches AI assistants over the internet exactly as before. What you miss is a short list of features, not access to artificial intelligence.
The least-discussed benefit: battery
Quite a few of these machines, especially the ones built around processors designed to sip power, have markedly better battery life than a laptop of a few years ago: a genuine working day is within reach. That does not hold for every machine with the sticker, though, so it is a figure to check on the exact model, in an independent review.
That is the most concrete reason to buy one, and it has almost nothing to do with artificial intelligence. If you spend your day away from a desk, you feel it daily. You will use the translated captions once a week.
When it is worth it and when it is not
Worth it if you need a new computer anyway, if you are out of the house and battery life weighs on you, if you do a lot of video calls, or if live translated captions solve a real problem for you, whether of language or of hearing.
Not worth it if the computer you have works. Replacing a perfectly good laptop for these features is money that does not come back: you have been doing the same things, or close to them, through an online service for years, and the only real difference is that those go over the internet.
Watch out for the half-step: a cheap laptop with an “AI” sticker but 8 GB of memory. If a model does not clear the minimums it will not even have those features, and it will still be a slow computer. Between an “AI” model with little memory and an ordinary one with 16 GB, take the second without hesitating.
The NPU is a useful component that today delivers few visible features and a solid gain in battery life. If you are buying a new computer, take it gladly: it is reasonable to expect that in two or three years that part will matter more than it does now, and meanwhile you go home with 16 GB of memory and a battery that lasts. If the computer you have is fine, this is no reason to replace it: the label on the price tag is worth far less than it costs.
Before deciding, look at something else
When you compare two models, the numbers that actually change your day are the old ones: how much memory, what kind of drive, how heavy, how long it lasts. NPU performance is the last line to look at, not the first.
And if your problem is that your current computer is slow, it is worth working out why before buying: the answer is often too little memory or an old drive, and no new computer is needed. If the problem is that it is stuck on Windows 10, that is a different situation, covered in Windows 10 stopped getting updates: what you risk and your three options.