It seems like everywhere you turn someone is talking (or warning) about artificial intelligence (AI).

AI seems to be the next big thing in computers and in our lives.

Truth be told, AI is kind of the current big thing. ChatGPT and other AI implementations are exploding right now.

But companies like Microsoft and Apple and Google are pushing AI to the front and center of the newest versions of their operating systems and browsers.

What does this mean for the average person who’s shopping for a computer or phone? What should you look for to take advantage of AI?

What if you want to avoid it?

An AI PC is just a system that is designed to better handle AI requests. If you are shopping for more than a bare-bones computer or phone, chances are it’s going to feature a neural processor that’s designed to fly through those AI processing chores.

If you’re shopping for a Microsoft Windows machine, you can start looking for a dedicated keyboard key for Microsoft Copilot, which is their AI technology.

Apple has announced its AI suite of tools will be included in this year’s version of MacOS Sequoia and iOS 18, but the rollout will take longer. The latest OS versions will be available in September, but all the cool AI features will likely take a bit longer to show up.

For both Mac and Windows users, the older your computer, the less compatible it will be with the respective AI iterations.

To take advantage of Apple’s AI suite, you’ll want a Mac with an Apple M-series processor, preferably an M3 or M4.

iPhone users will want an iPhone 15 or newer to get all the newest AI features.

Google says Android users will get Gemini, which is a “new kind of assistant that uses generative AI to help you be more creative and productive.” Again, newer phones with faster processors will give you the best performance and full feature set. Older hardware will not be compatible with all the new AI functionality.

As we go further into the AI world, these features will become more and more meshed with the operating system and we’ll get to the point where we can’t just turn it off or ignore it.

If you really want to try to avoid AI, holding off on upgrading to the latest versions of the operating system will be something you can do for a while, but eventually we’ll all be using computers and phones with AI.

 - TNS