Why and How Lenovo Is Outpacing the Competition in AI
On paper, Lenovo Group and Dell Technologies are remarkably alike, but the two companies are organized and run differently. That will become clear to most who compare last week’s Lenovo Tech World 2024 event to Dell’s similar event next month.
At the heart of the difference is the nature of both companies’ acquisitions and executive leadership. Lenovo’s leadership is geographically diverse, making it a truly global company, while Dell’s is primarily centralized in the U.S.
Although Michael Dell was instrumental in the company’s growth, he appears to have almost retired in place. Meanwhile, Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing, known as YY, is still a vibrant part of the company’s management.
This difference allows Lenovo to move much more decisively on industry changes, while Dell appears unable to make big moves and has to undergo massive layoffs to make the same pivot to AI that Lenovo has already made.
Another difference is the extent to which Lenovo is using AI. It’s already using AI operationally and selling mature AI solutions, while Dell still appears stuck on trying to sell a concept that the firm does not seem to know how to use yet. Dell’s marketing is doing a decent job of covering for these shortcomings, but the layoffs imply most customers are not fooled.
Let’s discuss some of the highlights from Lenovo Tech World 2024. Then, we’ll close with my Product of the Week, an interesting, mechanized laptop that Lenovo highlighted at the event.
The Powerful Open
In the opening moments of an event like this, you can often see where a company’s heart and focus are. It might do something humorous or feature the leading offering, but occasionally, I am surprised, and this was one of those times.
Lenovo opened with a demonstration featuring an individual with advanced ALS who cannot speak and can only move her eyes. But Lenovo had fashioned an AI solution for her so that, using AI, she could talk again. This breakthrough is monumental for individuals with ALS, enabling both speech and online interaction.
This demonstration was incredibly powerful, and Lenovo followed up by covering what it’s doing for education with AI. Education is interesting because while it enormously impacts the world, the segment is not very profitable. Personalized learning for students using AI could be a massive benefit, as it should better engage those students and significantly increase the effectiveness of education across all demographics.
Automated AI quizzes coupled with classes that teach using multiple AIs to create more compelling documents and reports should far better prepare students for the AI future than any other existing curriculum.
Both things told me that Lenovo is more about making a difference than making a profit, which is incredibly important when talking about a technology that could eliminate many jobs.
Lenovo made it clear that it is not working on AI to replace people but as a tool that would make students, people with disabilities, and employees more valuable rather than redundant over time. This approach stands in stark contrast to Dell’s recent AI-related layoffs.