Intel puts the power of AI at your fingers with its Arc-powered AI Playground

What you need to know

• Intel just released the beta version of its AI Playground app.
• AI Playground utilizes the power of an Intel Arc GPU and an Intel Core Ultra-H CPU to run AI locally.
• The app supports creating images, enhancing images, and answering questions.
• AI Playground will suggest AI models to install as you use the app, but you can also install alternative models to fit your workflow.

AI may take lots of jobs, according to Elon Musk , but there's fun to be had with the technology as well. Intel has a new tool in testing that lets you play around with AI, as long as you have a system with the right specs. The company's AI Playground was first teased in June, and it is now available in beta. Intel says that the AI Playground is "AI made easy on Intel Arc GPUs."

AI Playground is an app that supports using a wide range of models to create content through the power of artificial intelligence. The app has sections for creating images, enhancing images, and getting answers from a chatbot. All of those features run locally and utilize the power of your PC, streamlining the AI workflow and removing the need to send data to the cloud.

When you first use AI Playground for a specific type of task, such as image generation, you'll have to download a model. AI Playground will present you with a prompt to download a model if one is needed. You can also browse through the app's settings to install specific models or install alternative models. Intel has a guide on how to install custom models on AI Playground , but you won't need to follow that guide to get started.

Since AI Playground runs locally, the app's output doesn't leave your PC (unless you choose to share it, of course).

AI Playground is also an open-source project, so people can clone it, fork it, or help improve it.

Intel AI Playground requirements

If you want to play around on Intel's AI Playground, you need a system that meets the minimum requirements of the app. Your PC has to have an Intel Arc dGPU with at least 8GB of RAM. An Intel Core Ultra-H processor is also required.

Our colleagues at PC Gamer went hands-on with Intel's new AI Playground using a PC powered by an Intel Arc A770 with 16GB of RAM. Getting AI Playground up and running takes a bit of time, since you have to install the app and install any required AI models for your desired workflow. PC Gamer's Nick Evanson was impressed by the speed of AI Playground during beta testing:

"The result from just using 'an astronaut riding a horse' wasn't too bad but the real surprise was just how fast it was—less than four seconds to generate the 512 x 512 image. Interestingly, Intel's system automatically includes two negative prompts, bad hands and nfsw, so you won't be churning unsavoury images without being highly creative with the prompts."

Evanson noted that the other tools aren't quite as quick as AI Playground's image generator, but none of them are slow.

As its name suggests, AI Playground is meant for fun, not replacing complex workflows or more powerful AI applications. But the app is a nice way to dip your toe into the waters of AI, as long as you have a PC with the right specs.