Dell admits that PC buyers don’t actually care about AI

AI has been a huge buzzword at Apple and other tech companies for years. But Dell just admitted that PC buyers don’t actually care about AI—at least not yet.

Dell’s product head says, ‘AI probably confuses…more than it helps’

Dave James at PC Gamer published an article yesterday featuring quotes from Dell about its latest PC offerings.

The company’s CES messaging this year brought a stark shift from last year’s AI-focused approach. And there’s good reason for that.

Here’s Dell’s head of product, Kevin Terwilliger, with the explanation:

”what we’ve learned over the course of this year, especially from a consumer perspective, is they’re not buying based on AI,” Terwilliger says bluntly. “In fact I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome.”

Terwilliger clarifies that Dell isn’t abandoning its AI efforts altogether, it has simply realized that marketing AI all the time isn’t helping sell PCs. In fact, it might even be doing the opposite.

9to5Mac’s Take

Most of the non-techie people in my life have little interest in AI, so Dell’s confession isn’t actually surprising to me. Among people I know, I’d say AI provokes more skepticism and fear than genuine excitement.

Dell, like Apple and other tech companies, has to market its products to several different audiences. The general consumer should be a big part of that focus, but tech early adopters are another, and Wall Street is a key player too. And for years, those latter two audiences have rewarded companies for pushing the AI narrative. I wonder if Dell’s about-face is only the start of a shifting AI narrative heading into the year ahead.

What do you make of Dell’s comments about AI PC reception? Let us know in the comments.