Oh mighty deities of gaming, we implore you: Let 2026 be the year when the AI hype bubble finally bursts. Hallelujah. A positive indication of a major tech company distancing itself from exaggerated claims comes from an interview in PC Gamer with Dell’s product leader, Kevin Terwilliger, who bluntly stated that consumers are indifferent towards AI and do not find its integration in products appealing.
Terwilliger shared with PC Gamer’s Dave James, “Our insight this year, particularly from a consumer standpoint, shows that AI does not drive purchases. In fact, AI tends to confuse consumers rather than clarify a specific benefit.” Dell is not abandoning AI as a feature in its technology (taking small steps), but has chosen not to focus on it in their recent announcements during CES 2026. According to James, during Dell’s presentation by vice chairman Jeff Clarke, the mention of AI was minimal and critical, referring to it as an “unfulfilled promise of AI.” Instead, the emphasis was on new laptops and desktops, challenges posed by tariffs, and innovative monitors – a return to traditional hardware-centric presentations.
When Dave James raised the conspicuous absence of AI in their messaging with Kevin Terwilliger, given the saturation of the topic in recent years, Terwilliger responded by highlighting the shift in approach compared to the previous year when they heavily promoted AI-powered PCs.
What stands out is not just the reduced emphasis on AI but acknowledging that fixating on it in 2025 was misguided. While emphasizing their commitment to enhancing devices’ AI capabilities, the change in direction is notable.
The term “AI” encompasses various meanings across different contexts making it somewhat meaningless. In gaming for years, it referred to NPC behavior programming until companies like OpenAI and Google redefined it as “generative-AI” such as LLMs – content-generating systems that lack accuracy. However, in computer manufacturing, it denotes software that learns from experience for rapid adjustments to enhance performance similar to algorithms used in scientific research accelerating fields like medical research.
Kudos to Dell for boldly stepping back from misleading claims. May this be the first of many steps towards exposing “AI” for what it truly is – a deception – and shifting focus towards appreciating creativity and originality regardless of whether AI-driven GPUs play a role or not.