What is the one thing common across all PC brands today? The promise of AI which can lead to faster workflows, smarter software, and machines that can “think locally”. Almost every brand is busy talking about AI and how it can fundamentally change how people learn, build, and work. And at Nvidia’s RTX AI PC Day, held on January 23 in Coimbatore, that message was loud and clear once again. But beyond the demos and sessions, the most interesting conversations happened off stage, with engineering students who are already living with AI as part of their everyday academic life. These students were not encountering AI for the first time. Many of them are already building with it, studying it, and questioning it.
We spoke to some of the students present at the event and tried finding out if an AI PC really added any value to their workflow. And their responses revealed a more grounded, nuanced view of AI PCs, one that sits somewhere between excitement and realism.
Also read: Horror games can be scary without loud jump scares, this indie game proves it
Amanda D’Souza, an engineering student specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, described AI as something closer to a collaborator than a shortcut.
‘As a student, I use AI more as a learning partner than just a shortcut. I use it to understand difficult concepts, debug code when I’m stuck, explore project ideas, and sometimes to validate whether my approach to a problem actually makes sense. For example, in projects involving computer vision or data analysis, AI helps me experiment faster and understand why something works or doesn’t, instead of just blindly following tutorials.’
For Amanda, the value of AI lies in how it fills knowledge gaps rather than replacing effort. ‘Right now, AI genuinely for me I would say AI helps me bridge gaps,’ she added.
That sentiment was echoed by Mesadini, who is currently pursuing a BTech degree in CSE with a focus on AI. For her, AI has already blended into everyday academic life. ‘As an engineering student I use AI in my daily life. I use it to learn new content and research deep into other areas in AI.’
Among students specialising in AI and machine learning, the dependence on such tools felt even more natural. Gethsia Jennifer C, a BTech CSE AIML student, spoke about how AI tools support deeper exploration. ‘As an AIML student, we specialise in AI and frequently use many tools such as ChatGPT for our research exploring various ideas and concepts on a deeper level.’
Others highlighted how generative AI has become central to both learning and building. Girish NP from Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences explained, ‘As an AIML student I use Gen AI tools to code and build projects and products. And also to study and learn new skills and concepts.’
Peta Ezra Sastry, a third-year AI and ML student at Karunya University, described AI as something that extends creative and technical boundaries. ‘I use AI to code complex algorithms which I am not familiar with and I use it more for research purposes. And also it can help me by taking my ideas to the next level and providing more possibilities.’
Kevin Kattakayam Ian, also a third-year BTech CSE AIML student at Karunya University, shared a similar experience. ‘I have used AI in my personal projects, especially those related to Gen AI. I am a generative AI enthusiast and love studying about it.’
Across these conversations, one pattern stood out clearly- AI is not being treated as a novelty. It is already a core academic tool, shaping how students learn, experiment, and iterate.
While students largely agreed on the usefulness of AI tools, opinions became more nuanced when the discussion shifted to AI PCs specifically.
Amanda offered one of the most measured takes. ‘I think AI PCs do make learning and building easier in specific cases, like running local models, handling heavy computations, or multitasking efficiently. But I also feel they’re a bit overhyped for beginners because these aren’t an absolute requirement. A powerful mindset and strong fundamentals still matter more than powerful hardware.’ She added, ‘So overall, I see AI not as magic, but as an accelerator.’
Others were more direct about the benefits. Mesadini said simply, ‘AI PCs do make life easier. It has been so helpful throughout my journey of engineering.’
Gethsia looks at AI PCs as a necessary support system for advanced work. ‘I feel they do make our learning easier with our projects and paper publications where only our intellectual capability isn’t enough. AI helps in knowing and understanding more about our brains as well and get more creative and better at things.’
From a hardware perspective, Girish pointed to raw performance and said that AI PCs “make building things easier because of their GPUs , processing power, etc.”
Peta also acknowledged the debate around hype but leaned firmly towards usefulness. ‘AI actually makes things easier. For some people it may feel overhyped but for me, if we know the architecture and the techniques how to use it, it’ll be useful.’
Kevin summed up the appeal in practical terms and said, ‘It helps to save time and make our work easier.’
What emerged was not blind excitement, but discernment. Students recognised that AI PCs can meaningfully accelerate certain workloads, especially for advanced projects and local AI models. At the same time, they were also clear that no amount of hardware replaces strong fundamentals.
So while brands talk more and more about the future of computing, the students are talking about the present. In 2026, AI is already deeply embedded, AI PCs are helpful but not essential, and learning still begins with curiosity, discipline, and understanding rather than specs alone.
Also read: Nvidia RTX AI PC Day comes to Coimbatore, company says it is more than just GPUs