How AI hardware personas can unlock workforce efficiency

Six personas that stand to gain the most from on-device AI — and how your enterprise should look to identify these personas within your business.

Emerging global trends, such as growing geopolitical tensions, increasing reliance on cloud providers and next-gen software compatibility, underscore the growing urgency to adopt AI-enabled hardware. As a result, leading enterprises are investing in building AI-first ecosystems to align hardware, software and people to new ways of working. Keep in mind, however, that not every role within a business will experience the AI revolution in the same way.

We’ve identified six user personas for AI-powered devices to help your organization better define its specific needs and understand how hardware innovations can help your teams succeed.

By understanding these personas, business leaders — whether CIOs, BDMs or department heads — can better plan for the various implementation, change management and process considerations that must be accounted for to build an AI-centric strategy. While these personas represent some of the most likely users, the benefits of AI-powered devices — combined with an understanding of how AI can change the nature of work overall — extend beyond these groups and can bring value to all types of professionals. In PwC’s 28th Annual Global CEO Survey, more than half of the CEOs (56%) responding told us that AI has resulted in efficiencies in how employees use their time, while a third reported increased revenue (32%) and profitability (34%). With that in mind, let’s explore these personas, how they’re likely to benefit from these devices and the sectors where these users are most commonly found.¹

1. Frontline workers use AI for rapid decision-making and information location. These workers rely on edge computing to generate next-best actions, streamline interactions and reduce friction at every stage of the user interaction, whether in sales, support or logistics. This persona also values the improved system performance of an AI-powered device to make sure AI-enabled software runs smoothly and enables seamless multitasking.

2. Offline workers often operate in restricted or limited-network environments using on-device AI compute to deliver accurate insights without an internet connection. These users need fast, reliable performance to streamline day-to-day tasks in the field or remote areas. This persona also values the improved battery life and reduced latency of critical software that an AI-powered device provides.

3. Data workers prioritize data security and work in sectors with confidential data like healthcare, finance and legal. These workers use AI directly on their device to avoid cloud AI applications that could pose data sovereignty or compliance risks and to safeguard customer and organizational data from unauthorized model training and regulatory violations. This persona also values improved offline performance, enabling secure AI functionality even in isolated or restricted network environments.

4. Designers focus on harnessing AI for dynamic visual workflows such as real-time editing, image augmentation and seamless content creation. This persona specifically prioritizes using AI tools that help speed up iterations for complex designs and immersive experiences. This user also values the reduced latency that comes with running AI tasks on a device, allowing them to iterate faster on complex visual projects.

5. Developers use AI to handle data-intensive workloads and code development. These users thrive on enhancing accuracy and boosting efficiency by running small-language models on-device. This persona also values the increased data security that an AI-powered device provides to confirm their sensitive information is safeguarded against cyber threats and unauthorized access.

6. Executives and power workers value efficiency above all, leveraging AI-powered devices to streamline everyday tasks and increase productivity. This persona depends on AI for rapid information retrieval, inbox and file searches, note summarization, and meeting transcription to save valuable time. For this user, time is money, and they therefore require seamless multitasking and all-day battery life to support their work without interruptions.

Enterprises ought to look within to identify which of these personas employees resonate with, and plan upgrades accordingly. Understanding how various users within an organization will look to use AI is a critical input to launching a transformation and managing change.

Learn more about how AI-driven hardware is redefining the future of work — and why you can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. Check it out here.