AI is becoming a significant part of almost every industry, and the PC industry is no different. Companies such as Intel and AMD have already launched or are actively working on hardware with AI features. However, these additional features often result in higher prices. According to a recent poll, most PC users aren’t willing to pay extra for hardware with AI capabilities, and we’re not exactly surprised.
84% of PC users don’t want to pay extra for hardware with AI capabilities
TechPowerUp recently hosted a poll in which they asked a simple question: “Would you pay more for hardware with AI capabilities?” A total of 26,203 people voted, and 84% said no. Only 7% were willing to pay extra for AI-enhanced hardware, while 9% were unsure. This indicates that most PC users have little interest in AI features.
AI features primarily benefit those who are involved in AI-related tasks daily and need something to increase their productivity. For instance, the upcoming Intel Core Ultra 200V Lunar Lake and Core Ultra 200 Arrow Lake processors will be equipped with NPC units that are designed specifically for AI tasks. On top of that, they’ll also feature the Intel AI Boost technology, which helps improve the performance of AI-related tasks. Similarly, AMD’s upcoming Strix Point architecture will include the XDNA2 AI accelerator, serving the same purpose.
However, judging from the results of the poll hosted by TechPowerUp, it seems that PC users don’t want components to be more expensive solely because they include AI features. All they want is better performance, and they’d likely be willing to pay extra for it. But for features that won’t benefit them in their daily lives, they aren’t willing to pay anything extra. We’ll have to wait and see how significant the price difference will be between AI-enhanced hardware and standard hardware.
And speaking of next-gen hardware and polls, we wanted to know which desktop CPU generation you’re looking forward to the most.