While CES 2026 was filled with claims of an “AI revolution,” Dell took a more restrained stance, saying customers aren’t purchasing new computers solely because they offer AI.
While other companies kept pushing “AI-first” narratives, Dell went in another direction, using the moment to spotlight the XPS brand and talk up real hardware gains instead of AI buzz, a change from last year’s approach.
“Every system we announced has an NPU inside. The acceleration is there,” said Kevin Terwilliger, Dell’s head of product, in a CES interview. “But are people buying just because it has an AI component? No.” He went further, suggesting the relentless focus on artificial intelligence might be counterproductive. “In fact, I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome.”
This pragmatic view was echoed by Dell’s leadership. Speaking at a pre-briefing, COO Jeff Clarke addressed challenges such as tariffs and slow Windows 11 adoption, then described consumer-facing AI tools as an “unmet promise,” driven largely by inflated expectations rather than clear value.
The skepticism comes amid growing concern over a memory shortage anticipated in 2026. With consumers already spending on robust PCs for productivity and gaming, Dell leadership suggests that incremental AI acceleration improvements are unlikely to influence buying decisions.
While Microsoft continues to frame its AI assistant as the future of computing, it has yet to show clear, everyday value for most users. Dell now seems to be shifting its message toward what customers actually need today.
“The term ‘slop’ makes the poor AI algorithms sad,” the company quipped in its presentation, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the mediocre, AI-generated content that has diluted user trust.
At CES 2026, Dell signaled a recalibration in the post-generative AI boom. After a year of aggressive promotion across the industry, the PC vendor is refocusing on core performance, industrial design, and ecosystem constraints, betting that tangible value will ultimately outweigh AI-driven hype.
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