HP TECH TAKES /...
Exploring today's technology for tomorrow's possibilities
Subscribe
From London to Edinburgh: AI-Enhanced PCs Are Revolutionising Remote Work For Brits
July 22, 2024
We all know how important London is to the British economy. Yet, almost 9% of its offices are empty, much higher than the 10-year average. The reason? Remote work and the rise of the self-employed, white-collar worker.
This trend isn't limited to London. It's happening across the UK, from Edinburgh to Hampshire and beyond. It has led to a huge demand for home office supplies, including printers and AI-enhanced PCs.
These PCs offer better security and performance, making it tough for businesses to lure employees back into the office. So, how did we get here, and where is AI taking us?
The Evolution of Remote Work in the UK
Last year, about 16% of UK adults worked from home — but this number doubled for the self-employed, as well as those in hybrid roles. Remote work wasn't always this common. Technology and the COVID-19 pandemic are the main reasons for its rise.
In 2019, only 5.5% of workers in the EU worked remotely. In March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a national lockdown, forcing non-essential workers to stay home. Within a month, 46.6% of employees were working either partially or fully remotely.
Remote work was possible before the pandemic, and not just for freelancers. Companies like Zapier have always operated remotely. Founded in 2011, Zapier’s founders worked from different locations due to conflicting schedules, holding remote meetings to stay connected.
Other companies like Automattic, Buffer, and GitLab have similar stories. The technology for remote work, such as stable internet, video calls, screen-sharing apps, and VPNs, was already available. The pandemic simply accelerated its use. New developments like Starlink, the widespread adoption of 5G, and AI-enhanced PCs have since followed because of this newfound appetite.
Benefits of AI-Enhanced PCs for Remote Workers
AI-enhanced PCs use artificial intelligence to boost performance and security. Not all modern PCs have these features, but those with the latest NVIDIA® and Intel components do. Features include real-time ray tracing, deep learning, and AI accelerators. Even mid-range HP laptops can run many AI applications, making AI capability a scale rather than a binary category.
Here are some key features:
Performance optimisation
AI-enhanced PCs use AI to monitor system resources and adjust settings in real-time. They allocate more processing power to demanding tasks or reduce background processes. While PCs have had similar features for years, AI-enhanced monitoring is more efficient and precise, making it ideal for those working with demanding programmes like Adobe and Unreal Engine.
Optimisation comes in other forms, too. By being more productive, freelancers and project-orientated workers can benefit from a better work-life balance. For example, music producers can leverage audio engineering automation to streamline their workflow,
Enhanced security
Remote work technology has been centred around security in recent years, as it remains the biggest concern of any company. This is why our Elite Dragonfly range is so popular, due to its Wolf Security technology.
AI threat detection is all about spotting cyber attacks early on. The Intel® Core™ Ultra processor integrates the GPU, CPU and NPU (Neural Processing Unit) into a package so it can accelerate “AI on the endpoint”. In collaboration with BUFFERZONE®, this endpoint-based anti-phishing solution uses deep-learning techniques to sniff out malicious behaviour.
Personalised user experiences
AI in remote work learns user habits and preferences over time. It can then customise the interface, suggest relevant apps, and automate routine tasks. This makes the PC easier and more efficient to use and is something Microsoft’s Copilot is focusing on. There are many productivity tools for remote workers, and Copilot is currently featured on our latest HP Envy x360 laptops.
AI tools can also automate routine tasks without having to manually create a macro or schedule for it, thus freeing up time for more important work. For example, AI can sort emails, schedule meetings, and even draft responses to common queries. A study by Accenture found that AI could boost productivity by up to 40% in some industries by changing how we work. Clearly, remote work solutions UK has all its eggs in the AI basket.
Multitasking is proven to diminish our work quality, so there’s a lot to gain from letting AI fulfil administrative tasks autonomously to reduce task-hopping.
Smart power management
AI can analyse usage patterns and adjust power settings to extend battery life. For instance, it might dim the screen or slow down the processor during less demanding tasks. Or, it may use full performance because it knows your charging cycling is fast approaching.
Improved collaboration tools
AI enhances video calls by reducing background noise, improving video quality, and even providing real-time translations. This makes remote meetings more productive.
One example of improved communication is the Intel Core Ultra processor, which uses Intelligent Collaboration to track your face so that you can stay within the frame on your video call.
Predictive maintenance
AI can detect potential hardware issues before they cause problems. It might warn users about failing hard drives or overheating components, helping prevent data loss and downtime.
Challenges and Solutions
Isolation
Many remote workers feel cut off from their colleagues and plenty want to go back into the office because of it. AI-enhanced PCs offer a solution to this, albeit a potentially zany one. With modern GPUs, it’s possible to have casual encounters with your colleagues in the metaverse, using a VR headset. This could help reintroduce “chance encounters” by having a virtual office environment, or simply be a space for after-work parties. There is also the potential for AI companions, though the research on the safety and benefits is still limited.
Work-life balance
It's hard to separate work and home life when you work remotely. AI-enhanced PCs do not offer a direct solution to this, but they could help in the future. The core benefit of AI is that it can skyrocket productivity. And, as we begin talking more about work-life balance and mental health, AI could be one of the leading enablers of 4-day work weeks and reduced hours, which many companies are already testing out.
Home distractions
Noisy homes can make it hard to focus. Noise-cancelling (NC) headphones are profoundly effective at reducing background sounds, and applications like Discord are beginning to use their own AI-driven technology to deliver these features to users without NC headphones. A big success recently has been its Krisp AI voice cancellation, which is to the benefit of your colleagues who would otherwise be listening to your cafe’s Spotify playlist.
Tech problems
Without on-site IT support, tech issues can be a big problem. AI tools, however, can spot and fix many common PC problems on their own. When they can't, AI models like ChatGPT can guide you through fixing the issue. For those with a powerful enough PC, these language-learning models (LLMs) can be run locally on your PC, keeping conversations private, costs down, and usage unlimited. With our HP OMEN 45L Gaming Desktop PC, running demanding AI models is possible due to its NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 4090, which has an incredible 24GB of video memory (VRAM).
Skill development
Learning new skills can be tough without in-person training. However, LLMs can be a great bouncing board for ideas, such as getting it to check and critique your code, as well as generating learning plans to develop new skills. Microsoft’s Copilot is leaning into this, where you can be in constant conversation throughout the day.
AI-Enhanced PCs in Different Sectors
AI is seeping into all areas of our lives, from speaking to Siri to our Netflix recommendations. When looking at how AI is impacting different sectors, there are two aspects to consider. Firstly, how is AI influencing a company’s infrastructure, and secondly, how is AI being used by its workers?
Technology
Within tech, AI is helping coders write better software, faster. It can spot errors, suggest improvements as they type, and even write code on its own, letting developers focus on more complex tasks.
It’s also useful for Data Scientists who can create faster visualisations and more quickly manipulate small-to-medium-sized datasets. NVIDIA graphics cards, which are available with some of our business laptops like the ProBook 460, are capable of running complex machine learning tasks. On top of this, Copilot is installed, meaning ideas on what data science techniques to implement can be asked.
Finance
AI helps non-technical financial workers analyse data quickly and spot trends. It can process vast amounts of market data in seconds, helping flag opportunities and threats within complex patterns. There are now AI-driven low-code solutions to data science which is particularly useful for those within finance, and it can even result in sophisticated workflow automation using applications like n8n.
Marketing
AI helps marketers in a variety of ways. Because marketing can require maths, literacy, artistic, and personal skills, AI is helping workers fill in the gaps where they’re less strong. For some, this may be generating unique ideas by talking to a language learning model. For others, AI may help make sense of complex metrics when optimising a pay-per-click campaign.
Arts
Although controversial, AI is getting increasingly competent at generating unique images and audio. Video generation is also on the horizon, and technologies such as AI hypercomputing pose the question of how long it will be until entire films - or video games - can be generated from a single user prompt. As with all technological innovation within the arts, its future lies in collaboration (with humans) rather than autonomous generation.
When it comes to working remotely in the UK, it’s important to balance the power requirements of AI and the convenience required for working on the go. As we head into this new era of work, it’s clear that AI-enhanced work devices are not a luxury, but a necessity.
Conclusion
AI-enhanced PCs are revolutionising remote work across the UK, from London to Edinburgh. By boosting performance, enhancing security, and personalising user experiences, these advanced devices are meeting the demands of the modern remote worker. Whether addressing challenges like isolation and home distractions or aiding in skill development and productivity, AI is reshaping how we work. As we embrace this new era, AI-enhanced work devices are becoming essential tools, driving efficiency, and innovation in various sectors. The future of remote work is here, and it is AI-driven.
