Exclusive: Acer exec believes AI branding on laptops might ‘fade out’ by end of the year

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Is this the end of "Copilot+ PCs"?

Copilot+ PCs
(Image credit: Future)

If you’ve shopped for the best laptops recently, then you’ve no doubt seen the “AI” suffix attached to nearly every notebook. This includes Acer machines, such as the Acer Nitro V 16 and the Acer Predator Helios 16 AI. While that branding has been prominent, it seems it might have an expiration date.

We recently sat down with Acer’s Emmanuel Fromont, who is Acer’s Corporate VP and President of EMEA Operations. During our conversation, he suggested that the specific AI branding we currently see everywhere will likely “fade out” by the end of this year. The reason? AI is moving from a marketing novelty to a standard hardware requirement.

The new normal

Copilot+ PCs

(Image credit: Future (Dell/HP/Samsung))

Fromont’s logic is simple: once a technology becomes a baseline requirement for a device, it no longer needs to be part of the product’s name. He compared the current AI hype to previous hardware standards like memory or CPU specifications.

"Once people understand that this is a common feature or process, it will happen automatically," Fromont explained. "Eventually, those requirements will become the standard, and once that happens, the specific AI branding will likely disappear."

When I met with Acer last year at a pre-CES meeting, a PR rep shared a similar opinion. And it makes sense. For example, the Copilot+ PC branding requires specific NPU (Neural Processing Unit) performance and memory specs. As those requirements become the floor for the best Windows laptops, adding "AI" to the title becomes as redundant as calling a car a four-wheeled vehicle.

AI fatigue

AI

(Image credit: Future)

This shift could be a welcome change for gamers and power users, many of whom have expressed skepticism toward the recent rebranding wave. During the interview, we noted a growing sentiment that AI labels are often used to justify higher hardware prices without offering a tangible killer app.

Fromont acknowledged that the term can be "confusing in the beginning," but he believes the focus will shift as the industry moves toward ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence) and true process optimization.

Instead of just marketing Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Acer expects the focus to turn toward how AI can optimize background processes and hardware efficiency — things that happen automatically without the user needing to interact with a chatbot.

Outlook

So, when will the AI suffix finally vanish from laptops and PCs? Fromont’s "best personal guess" is that the transition will begin as early as the end of 2026.

As specialized AI hardware becomes an integrated, expected part of the PC architecture, manufacturers will likely return to focusing on traditional performance metrics like frame rates, thermal efficiency, and build quality.

For those who are tired of hearing about AI at every turn, this is a potential light at the end of the tunnel. Acer seems to realize that while AI is here to stay, its time as a flashy marketing gimmick is running out. I, for one, am here for it.

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Tony Polanco
Tony Polanco
Senior Computing Writer

Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.

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