AI PCs tackle employee burnout, and help redefine the modern workplace

The modern workplace is under pressure, with many knowledge workers increasingly reporting high levels of stress and burnout. The very tools meant to help, can add friction when they’re not designed for how people actually work.

The HP Work Relationship Index (WRI) 2025 paints a stark picture: only 14 percent of Australian knowledge workers report a healthy relationship with work. It’s a significant 13 percent drop from the previous year, seeing Australia rank as one of the lowest on the 14 nations surveyed.

Australia’s knowledge workers are now drowning in the relentless churn of emails, endless meetings, constant context-switching and frustrating admin tasks. All of which drains their energy and takes their attention away from more valuable work which actually requires the human touch.

While these workers constantly hear about the promises of AI at work, they typically don’t see tangible day-to-day benefits. They need a new generation of computing devices that actively reduce friction and burnout, not just more powerful laptops which are often noisy and battery-hungry.

Cut the busywork, keep the impact

Amidst these challenges, technology and AI can be a genuine source of optimism. When knowledge workers are equipped with the right tools, the likelihood of a healthy relationship with work more than doubles.

Things are starting to improve, with the HP report revealing that 77 percent of Australians already use AI at work, with 31 percent using it daily. This growth in AI adoption is now being driven by older generations, with boomers catching up to their younger counterparts.

Employees get the most benefit when AI initiatives are driven from the top. Those who work for companies that invest in providing the right AI tools are up to five times more likely to have a healthy relationship with work.

This is where AI PCs, powered by AMD Ryzen™ AI processors and Windows 11 Pro with Copilot, ease the burden on employees. This new generation of devices is built around tangible worker benefits, not just increased power. By taking on routine tasks, AI frees teams to focus on the parts of the job that need a human touch.

At the same time, AI makes meetings and collaboration less exhausting for workers, while also quietly managing a PC’s performance, thermals and battery in the background to ensure computers are seen but not heard.

HP EliteBook 8 G1a: AI in action

The HP EliteBook 8 G1a is a force multiplier which combines the benefits of AMD Ryzen™ AI and HP AI Companion, with the strengths of Windows 11 Pro with Copilot. The result is a concrete example of an AI business laptop built around worker wellbeing and productivity.

A dedicated Copilot key offers one-tap access to summarise emails and documents, generate first-draft content, extract actions from meetings and manage the workday. At the same, HP AI Companion provides personalised, context-aware assistance which can search, summarise and generate content using a worker’s own files.

Business-ready connectivity underpins hybrid collaboration features such as high-quality webcam and audio designed for back-to-back calls. Video calls feel less draining and more professional with AI-assisted framing, background control, and distraction reduction.

A dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) handles on-device AI workloads – such as background tasks and camera effects – while keeping the CPU and GPU free for core work. The result is more responsive performance during AI tasks, as well as better overall battery life.

Behind the scenes, HP Smart Sense keeps performance steady while reducing heat and fan noise, helping your laptop stay quiet in meetings and last longer between charges. And because protection matters as much as performance, AI PCs also offer security without compromise, with HP Wolf Security for Business providing hardware-enforced protection from BIOS to browser, above and below the OS.

Make AI useful, not abstract

As knowledge workers tackle burnout and stress, they are open to embracing AI if it is clearly explained and visibly useful, not just abstract or hype-driven.

The key is to hand these workers the right tools for the job, with PCs built from the ground up to make the most of AI and deliver on its promises when it comes to boosting productivity and reducing stress throughout the work day.

As organisations rethink the Future of Work, the path forward is clear: simpler, smarter tools that give people time back and keep businesses secure.

Find out more

Explore HP’s AMD EliteBook range to find the perfect AI PCs to redefine any knowledge worker’s relationship with work.