"Nobody can avoid AI - but it will not replace humans" - Lenovo CEO explains why your next work PC could be an AI-enabled device

• Lenovo CEO tells us more AI PCs are coming to a workplace near you soon
• Cost is a worry, but productivity and efficiency boosts mitigate this
• Predicting the future and developing a robust roadmap is also a challenge, Lenovo admits

The CEO of Lenovo has predicted around half of enterprise-ready computers will be AI PCs by the end of 2026 as the technology becomes more commonplace.

Yuanqing Yang, also known as YY, told TechRadar Pro he was hopeful about the continuing spread and availability of AI PCs, but admitted cost would be an issue in pushing for 100% adoption.

"Our prediction is that by the end of this year, around fifteen percent of PCs will be AI PCs," he told us at a media Q&A at CES 2026, hinting that devices embedded with Lenovo's new Qira AI model would help push adoption even higher.

AI everywhere

Lenovo unveiled a host of new enterprise devices at CES 2026, ranging from super-powered ThinkPad Carbon business laptops through to full PC towers.

This confidence from the world's biggest PC maker was clear during its spectacular keynote at the Las Vegas Sphere, where YY welcomed partners including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.

Stating his belief that "AI is definitely not a bubble," YY also declared his belief that AI will become a central part of our working lives looking forward.

"Nobody can avoid AI, but AI will not replace humans, it will only empower each of us in the future, help you remember more, do more, and be more creative...it will help you be more competitive in every area," he added.

"One of the fundamental principles with which we develop AI is our belief in responsible AI," added Tolga Kurtoglu, SVP & Chief Technology Officer, Lenovo.

"I don't see a world without AI," he said, "we think of AI as unleashing human potential, we think of it augmenting people...almost like a symbiotic team which is an extension of you, helps you be more productive and efficient in what you want to get accomplished."

Asked how far ahead the company looks in terms of its development strategy, Kurtoglu admitted the fast pace of AI development poses issues for companies the size and breadth of Lenovo.

"For the AI era, I think a five-year roadmap is a pipe dream," he said, "I always emphasize three things, it's about agility, adaptability and speed - it's not about predicting what will be happening in five years time, it's about changing what the dynamics of the market and always increasing your rate of learning from the market."

"That doesn't mean we don't have a roadmap - but with the pace of innovation we see, five years is way too long...(and) our aim is not to predict the future, our aim is to learn as fast as possible, from the end users perspective, so we can innovate on top of that knowledge."

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