The Rise of AI PCs: Should You Buy One?

Every laptop maker now sells an "AI PC." Here's what's real and what's marketing:

• The new chip (NPU): A dedicated "neural processing unit" handles AI tasks without draining battery. It's measured in TOPS (trillions of operations) — 40+ TOPS is the current threshold.
• What it actually does today: Live captioning in any language, background blur that doesn't eat battery, photo search by description ("find my passport photo"), and small generative AI tasks offline.
• What it promises: AI agents that organize your files, draft replies, and prep meetings. Mostly still beta-quality in 2026.

Buyer's rule: Don't pay extra FOR the AI. But if two laptops cost the same, take the one with the NPU — it's newer silicon, better battery, and ready for whatever AI feature actually becomes useful. Apple Macs have had this (Apple Intelligence) since 2024; Windows caught up in 2025–26.