Dell has made it clear that consumers aren't currently buying PCs for AI capabilities. In an interview with pc gamer Ahead of CES, Dell revealed that its 2026 products won't all be AI-first, but are moving beyond “all AI” PCs.
“We're very focused on leveraging the AI capabilities of our devices. In fact, everything we're announcing has an NPU built into it. But what we've learned over the past year, especially from a consumer perspective, is that they're not making purchases based on AI,” acknowledged Kevin Terwilliger, head of product at Dell. pc gamer Interview. “In fact, I think AI will probably confuse them more than it will help them understand certain outcomes.”
That's a surprisingly honest admission from one of Microsoft's biggest PC partners, especially as the software giant continues to push AI features into Windows and tries to convince consumers to buy Copilot Plus PCs. Dell is one of Microsoft's partners in the first Copilot Plus PC launch in 2024, adding Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips to its popular XPS 13 and Inspiron series of laptops. Last year, Dell added Qualcomm's cloud AI chips to its high-end laptops, improving AI performance on local models.
But most of the Copilot Plus PC's benefits come from the improved battery life and performance of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chip, rather than the AI features alone.
Microsoft also had trouble launching its flagship AI feature, Recall, for Copilot Plus PCs. The controversial feature was delayed following concerns from security experts, and was ultimately released nearly a year after it was originally planned.
