Latest news with #executives
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
For CEOs, AI tech literacy is no longer optional
Artificial intelligence has been the subject of unprecedented levels of investment and enthusiasm over the past three years, driven by a tide of hype that promises revolutionary transformation across every business function. Yet the gap between this technology's promise and the delivery of real business value remains stubbornly wide. A recent study by BCG found that while 98% of companies are exploring AI, only 26% have developed working products and a mere 4% have achieved significant returns on their investments. This striking implementation gap raises a critical question: Why do so many AI initiatives fail to deliver meaningful value? Spicy AI-generated TACO memes are taking over social media because 'Trump always chickens out' What is 'ghostworking'? Most employees say they regularly pretend to work Lego's first book nook is an addictively interactive diorama A big part of the answer lies in a fundamental disconnect at the leadership level: to put it bluntly, many senior executives just don't understand how AI works. One recent survey found that 94% of C-suite executives describe themselves as having an intermediate, advanced, or expert knowledge of AI, while 90% say they are confident in making decisions around the technology. Yet a large study of thousands of U.S. board-level executives reported in MIT Sloan Management Review in 2024 found that just 8% actually have 'substantial levels of conceptual knowledge regarding AI technologies.' The only way AI initiatives can deliver significant value is when they are aligned with the organization's broader enterprise architecture. When I introduced the terminology of 'strategic enterprise architecture' back in 2000 (e-Enterprise, Cambridge University Press), I wanted to emphasize the importance of aligning technical architecture with the broader structure of the business as a whole–its purpose, strategies, processes, and operating models. With AI, this alignment is more important than ever. But it relies on the ability of senior leaders to understand both parts of the enterprise equation. The current gap between confidence and competence creates a dangerous decision-making environment. Without foundational AI literacy, leaders simply can't make informed decisions about how any given AI implementation fits with strategic priorities and the processes and existing tech infrastructure of the business. Ultimately, they end up delegating critical strategic choices to technical teams that often lack the business context necessary for value-driven implementation. The result? Millions of dollars invested in AI initiatives that fail to deliver on their promises. In addition to project failure, a lack of AI literacy leads to strategic opportunity costs. When CEOs can't distinguish between truly transformative AI applications and incremental improvements, they risk either underinvesting in game-changing capabilities or overspending on fashionable but low-impact technologies. Becoming AI-literate doesn't mean that CEOs need to be able to build neural networks or understand the mathematical intricacies of deep learning algorithms. Rather, leaders need the kind of foundational practical knowledge that lets them align AI initiatives with core business operations and strategic direction. At minimum, CEOs should develop a working understanding of AI in three broad areas. CEOs should understand the differences between the four major types of AI, the business applications of each, and their current maturity level. Analytical/Predictive AI focuses on pattern recognition and forecasting. This technology has been maturing for decades and forms the backbone of data-driven decision making in domains from finance to manufacturing. Deterministic AI systems apply predefined rules and logic to automate processes and decision-making, creating efficiency but requiring careful governance. Generative AI—the current hype king—creates new content that resembles human work, offering unprecedented creative capabilities alongside significant ethical challenges. Agentic AI is the new kid on the block. It not only analyzes or produces outputs but takes bounded actions toward defined goals. Agentic AI offers the greatest opportunity and the largest risks for enterprise transformation, but is largely untested at scale. The infrastructure underpinning AI implementations shapes what is possible and practical for specific organizations. · Deployment Models determine where and how AI systems operate. On-premises deployments maximize control over data, systems, and compliance but require significant capital investment and specialized personnel. Cloud-based deployments offer scalability and access to cutting-edge hardware but increase exposure to data security and vendor lock-in risks. Hybrid models retain sensitive processes in-house while outsourcing other workloads. · Open and Closed Systems. Closed AI systems—proprietary systems created by commercial vendors—simplify deployment and provide enterprise-grade support but normally offer limited transparency and customization. Open (or open source) systems provide greater control and flexibility, particularly for specialized applications, but require more internal capacity and ongoing maintenance. · Computing Resource Needs vary dramatically based on how AI is deployed. Most organizations primarily use AI for inference (using the reasoning capabilities of trained models) rather than training their own models. This approach significantly reduces hardware requirements but limits customization and mission-specific capabilities. · Data Infrastructure is the foundation for successful AI implementations. This includes data pipelines for collecting and transforming information, storage systems for managing structured and unstructured data, processing frameworks for maintaining data quality, and governance mechanisms for ensuring compliance and security. Organizations with mature data infrastructure can implement AI more rapidly and effectively than those still struggling with data silos or quality issues. The contemporary AI stack comprises five interconnected layers that transform raw data into outputs designed to create value for the enterprise. · The Foundation: Data & Storage This foundation captures, cleans, and catalogs both structured and unstructured information. · The Engine: Compute & Acceleration High-density Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), AI-optimized chips, and elastic cloud clusters provide the parallel processing that deep-learning workloads require. Container orchestration tools abstract these resources, allowing cost-effective experimentation and deployment. · The Brain: Model & Algorithm This is where foundation models, domain-specific small language models, and classical machine-learning libraries coexist. Organizations must decide whether to consume models 'as-a-service,' fine-tune open-source checkpoints, or build custom networks—decisions that involve trade-offs between control, cost, and compliance. · The Connectors: Orchestration & Tooling Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), prompt pipelines, automated evaluation harnesses, and agent frameworks sequence models into end-to-end capabilities. · User Access and Control: Applications & Governance This top layer exposes AI to users through APIs and low-code builders that embed intelligence in user-facing systems. For further foundational information on AI tech stacks, see IBM's introductory guide. How can busy executives develop the AI literacy they need to lead effectively? Here are some practical approaches to closing the knowledge gap. Establish a personal learning curriculum. Set aside time for structured learning about AI fundamentals through executive education programs, books, or online courses specifically designed for business leaders. Build a balanced advisory network. Surround yourself with advisors who bridge technical expertise and business acumen. This might include both internal experts and external consultants who can translate complex concepts into business terms without oversimplifying. Institute regular technology briefings. Create a structured process where technical teams provide regular updates on AI capabilities, limitations, and potential applications in your industry. The key is ensuring these briefings focus on business implications rather than technical specifications. Experience AI directly. Hands-on experience with AI tools provides an essential perspective. Work directly with your company's AI applications to develop an intuitive understanding of capabilities and limitations. Foster organization-wide literacy. Support AI education across all business functions, not just technical departments. When marketing, finance, operations, and other leaders share a common understanding of AI capabilities, cross-functional collaboration improves dramatically. True leadership in the age of AI begins with curiosity and the courage to CEOs become tech literate, they don't just adapt to the future—they help shape it. This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter: Sign in to access your portfolio
Fast Company
a day ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Why junior mining companies must embrace video to build trust and stand out
When I speak with other executives in the junior mining space, one theme comes up repeatedly: How do we stand out? Whether we're competing for investor attention, trying to explain a technically complex asset, or showcasing ESG initiatives, the challenge is the same—communicating clearly, effectively, and with impact. Over the last few years, I've become convinced that video is one of the most powerful, underused tools in our industry. In the mining business, we operate in a highly visual business—remote landscapes, geological exploration, community partnerships, environmental stewardship. Yet most mining companies still rely on PDFs, slide decks, and press releases to tell their stories. And while those have a role, they're simply not enough anymore. Investors—especially retail and younger ones—consume information differently today. They scroll LinkedIn, browse YouTube, and watch CEO interviews before they ever open an investor deck. Even institutional players and analysts are influenced by a company's online presence and digital transparency. Video lets us show progress, humanize leadership, and build trust in a way that static content just can't. A drone shot of your exploration site, a 90-second message from the CEO, or a quick ESG highlight reel speaks volumes. It helps investors visualize your vision— and, more importantly, believe in it. WHAT'S WORKED FOR US Here are some types of video content I've seen have an outsized impact, either in our own marketing efforts or across the sector: Site Visit Videos Footage from site visits—even just 2–3 minutes long—goes a long way. Drone shots, field team interviews, or clips of drilling rigs in motion help investors understand the scale and seriousness of your operation. Executive Updates Regular video updates from leadership are incredibly effective. They don't need to be fancy. I've filmed updates on a phone with a lapel mic and a decent backdrop. What matters is being candid, timely, and consistent. ESG In Action If your company is doing real, meaningful ESG work, show it. Record your teams engaging with local communities, managing environmental risk, or restoring land. Video turns abstract ESG goals into tangible evidence. FAQs And Explainers There's huge value in creating short helpful videos answering investor questions. Things like 'What are assay results?' or 'Where are we in the permitting process?' These can live on your IR site and be repurposed across channels. Animations And Visual Overlays For technical topics like geology or deposit modeling, we've started experimenting with simple animations or slide overlays. It's a smart way to make dense information accessible, especially for non-technical investors. GETTING IT OUT THERE Creating content is just part of the process; you also need to get it in front of the right audience. Here's where we've focused distribution: YouTube for longer-form content, interviews, or site walkthroughs. LinkedIn for executive visibility and industry engagement. X (Twitter) for press release follow-ups or quick commentary. Investor newsletters for embedded videos that drive engagement. Company IR websites for a centralized, evergreen library of content. For companies with an ESG or community angle, even Instagram or TikTok can have a role, especially when targeting local stakeholders or the next generation of investors. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE I know many junior companies worry about cost, but I've learned firsthand that you can produce good video without blowing your budget. A few things that help: Use Your Phone: Newer smartphones shoot in 4K and with a simple gimbal and mic, you're more than halfway there. Batch Content: Record multiple videos during site visits or update cycles to maximize efficiency. Hire Freelancers: Instead of agencies, find independent editors or videographers to help polish raw footage. Leverage AI Tools: Platforms like Descript can transcribe, edit, or voice-over content in minutes. The key is to start small, stay consistent, and focus on authenticity over polish. FINAL THOUGHT: TELL, DON'T JUST TALK At the end of the day, mining is a long game—but investor attention spans are short. We can't afford to rely on traditional comms alone. We need to think like storytellers, and video is the most powerful storytelling format we have. Whether it's to build credibility, explain a new phase of development, or highlight ESG efforts, video content creates a connection. It makes you memorable. And in a sector where trust is everything, that can be the difference between momentum and missed opportunity. So, if you haven't already—grab a camera, press record, and start showing your story. Your investors are already watching. Make sure they're watching you.
Harvard Business Review
a day ago
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
When Your Go-To Leadership Style Stops Working
As you move into senior roles, some leadership styles will come more naturally than others, shaped by your personality and past successes. And over time, your favored style may become your brand, expected by others and increasingly authentic to you. But what happens when your preferred approach suddenly loses followership? If you don't adjust, you could diminish your credibility as a leader. On the other hand, adopting an unfamiliar style can be both awkward for you and confusing for your colleagues. The challenge to become versatile across leadership styles is arguably harder than improving technical expertise or strategic competence because it calls for personal transformation. And these days, if you're not committed to developing past your comfort zone, you're unlikely to inspire others to stretch themselves and follow your example. In my work coaching executives, I've seen that having the courage to develop greater adaptability in their leadership approach is worth the effort. Leaders who expand their range of styles not only sustain followership, they're often surprised by how agility gets easier with practice. Here are five strategies to help you successfully meet the moment when your default leadership style stops working. Scan for shifts in the business, stakeholders, and yourself. When your leadership style loses impact, it's typically because something changed in the systems around you. To avoid blind spots in your effectiveness, look for sudden changes in three areas: the business you serve, the stakeholders you manage and influence, and your personal concerns. Ask yourself: Have market dynamics, customer needs, or product strategies shifted? Are your stakeholders requiring something different in order to willingly follow you? And within yourself, have any new responsibilities demanded a change in your confidence and presence? I once coached a VP who noticed morale dropping across his team and complaints rising from internal customers about work delays. As he scanned for shifts in the business and key stakeholders, he recognized that constant pivots in strategy to keep up with market competition confused the team's priorities. At the same time, internal customers were applying pressure on shared projects. And the new VP, newly promoted, was trying too hard to please everyone, rather than managing around a clear vision and strategically setting boundaries on service. The result was a purely reactive team seen as order-takers targeted for criticism rather than valuable strategic partners. By scanning at the level of the business, stakeholders and self, the VP realized he needed to lead with more clarity and conviction to improve credibility around what his team could promise and deliver. Shifting his style with this intention helped reset and re-engage both his team and stakeholders more effectively. Identify a style you're overusing and try on new ones. To help you assess which styles you tend to favor, consider how you show up across these six leadership styles, as provided by psychologist Daniel Goleman's research: directive (using command and coercion), authoritative (defining a vision to follow), pacesetting (insisting on high standards), affiliative (preferring personal bonds), democratic (seeking consensus for decisions), and coaching (prioritizing individual growth). Several factors influence your chosen style, from your personality and unique strengths, to how you were taught about leadership, perhaps from prior bosses or mentors. But comfort breeds complacency, and as needs change, your over-reliance on one approach can limit future followership. One of my coaching clients was a CEO who had spent his whole career at his company. Because of his deep institutional knowledge and a scrappy, 'roll up your sleeves and get it done' personality, he preferred to operate in the weeds, involving himself in extremely tactical issues. This pacesetting style—hands on, detail oriented and pushing for his view of excellence—worked well when the company was small and his leadership team was made up of longtime colleagues who expected it. But as the business scaled and new leaders were hired to help the company develop a mature operational structure, his involvement became a bottleneck. And his style, once effective for solving simpler problems, now limited his managers' capabilities in addressing increasingly complex ones. He realized that in order to sustain effectiveness, he needed to try on some new styles, namely a visionary one that encouraged team ownership, and a coaching one that empowered others to grow themselves in preparation for future demands. Be transparent about style changes. Expanding your range of styles is a sign of sophisticated leadership, but be prepared for growing pains. Not only is adopting a new style unfamiliar to you, but it may confuse others if done without warning. Failing to share the context of what and why you're changing, may be seen as erratic and even worse, diminish trust. To ensure alignment, build on your ongoing social contract, explaining your intention and how you'll experiment with broadening your range when leading your team. You might tell them: Over the past year, I've noticed a habit of mine that is getting in the way of achieving the results we all want. I like to jump in and insert myself in the work when I don't see progress. But that's not working for either of us. Going forward, I'm going to try to empower you more, asking questions to invite your ownership and delegating more intentionally. If I seem quieter in meetings, it's not that I'm disengaged, and if I'm asking lots of questions, I'm not trying to test you. I'm just trying to listen and encourage your process and solutions rather than mine. Reinforce how this shift will help everyone: 'Being a more intentional coach will not only help me spend more time on the big issues on my plate but also show you I trust you and want to give you opportunities to show what you can do.' Taking ownership for where your style needs to expand can understandably make you feel exposed. But remember it's courage, humility and your modeling of vulnerability that will strengthen your team's capabilities and increase your followership. Practice, seek feedback, and expect pushback. Once you've clarified your intentions, start experimenting in small, yet visible ways. Ask for feedback on how your new approach is landing, but don't be discouraged if some colleagues aren't happy with it. After all, even if your prior style had its flaws, it was familiar. Changes in how you lead them may feel unwanted until they experience the benefits of adaptation. One of my coaching clients was an SVP of technology, responsible for innovating engineering processes to improve his company's competitive edge. His style was grounded in vision-building and democratic decision-making, motivating the team to imagine the impossible and engage in healthy, inclusive debates about how to get there. While his team felt safe and supported, several recent project failures reduced other stakeholders' confidence in the SVP's operational maturity. He developed a reputation for overpromising and underdelivering, caused by two problems with his leadership approach: his unwillingness to give critical feedback to his team and an aversion to consistent, detailed reporting to his peers on progress. To his credit, he made demonstrable changes in his approach in response to these setbacks. To more objectively assess his team, he asked himself who he would re-hire (or not) if he had to start the team from scratch. Then he defined specific gaps for each and coached them with targeted feedback, acknowledging that his prior avoidance of that limited their potential. And when his team engaged in endless debates, he redirected them toward closure and action. Lastly, he had his team develop a cadence for planning and reporting out to stakeholders based on key metrics of interest. Not everyone on the SVP's team welcomed these style shifts. After all, it meant more work and personal accountability. But he continued to seek feedback as a way of calibrating his approach to avoid over-indexing the other way. And by persisting with experimentation while accepting the pushback as a necessary part of evolving, he offered a model for them to expand their range as leaders too. Commit to developing versatility over mastery. As you experiment with new leadership styles, don't be discouraged if some just never feel right. Stay open to practicing across styles so you have access to more choices when the moment calls for it. And commit to choosing your approach based on purpose rather than personal preference. This not only increases your leadership effectiveness in a given context, but it ensures you're actively growing your adaptability muscle for future needs. In today's ever-changing workplace, being adaptive is a major strategic advantage. A recent study reported more than 60% of corporate learning professionals believe leaders must become more behaviorally adaptable to meet future needs. And these days, companies are even creating C-suite roles specifically designed to foster agility because of its criticality for achieving enterprise-wide alignment. But versatility demands vulnerability and often letting go of your core identity. For example, if you're a leader who has built trusted relationships before setting expectations, you might view the necessity to be authoritative and decisive first, as an affront to your values and 'who you are.' And yet in holding onto what feels authentic, you could miss the opportunity to use a directive style when it's more effective for the moment at hand, such as providing clarity in crisis, or helping new employees know what is expected of them before ramping up to their own level of competence. To develop your adaptability across styles, let go of the need to feel authentic at all times. Versatile leaders often embody all six styles in the span of a day, depending on the purpose of the interaction. Read the room, consider if people need you to be decisive, observant, facilitative, or something else at that time, and show up accordingly, just to see what works. In any leadership role, your style of engaging others plays a significant part in determining success, sometimes even more than the subject matter of the work. And when your style suddenly loses its desired impact, it can be hard to know how to shift it without losing your authenticity or confusing those you lead. By using these strategies, you can make sure you're sustaining followership by optimizing your style for the moment and developing your adaptive range for future shifts.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
ECB Intensifies Scrutiny of Banks' Exposure to Private Markets
The European Central Bank is escalating its scrutiny of lenders' exposures to private markets amid concerns that the fast ascent of related asset classes raises substantial new risks. The watchdog has signaled that it's sending letters to executives at certain banks cautioning them on their practices in financing private funds, according to people familiar with the matter.
CNET
a day ago
- Business
- CNET
I Tested the HP EliteBook Ultra G1i. Its Deluxe Design and Features Are Perfect for On-the-Go Execs
8.5 / 10 SCORE HP EliteBook Ultra G1i $1,899 at HP Pros Excellent 2.8K OLED display Beautiful design that's also compact and lightweight Competitive application and AI performance from Intel Lunar Lake CPU Cons Very expensive when not on sale Battery life is good but not great HP EliteBook Ultra G1i 8.5/10 CNET Score $1,899 at HP The EliteBook Ultra G1i may be a new model with a new name, but it comes with a familiar design. With its thin and light, well-built chassis, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is the clear successor to the HP Dragonfly G4, which I really liked as a premium business laptop. The display aspect ratio has changed from a boxy 3:2 ratio to the more common 16:10 layout, and the color of the laptop went from a matte black to a deep blue, but otherwise, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is basically a rebranded Dragonfly G4. It lives up to its Ultra billing -- from its design to its features and performance -- and is a great pick for traveling executives or anyone who appreciates a small, lightweight premium laptop for work. Just be sure to wait for it to go on sale if your company doesn't qualify for a volume-pricing discount. HP EliteBook Ultra G1i Price as reviewed $1,899 Display size/resolution 14-inch 2,880x1,800 120Hz OLED display CPU Intel Core Ultra 7 268V Memory 32GB LPDDR5-8533 Graphics Intel Arc 140V Storage 512GB SSD Ports 3 x Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2, combo audio Networking Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 Operating system Windows 11 Pro 24H2 Weight 2.6 lbs (1.18 kg) If you're trying to make sense of HP's new laptop nomenclature, then you first need to know that the OmniBook brand is the new home for the company's consumer models, with EliteBooks making up the commercial side of things. After that fork in the road, you'll next encounter a variety of models within each line, from entry-level units up to the flagship systems tagged with the Ultra suffix, such as the EliteBook Ultra G1i here. As the "i" indicates, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is an Intel-based laptop. It features Core Ultra Series 2 processors from Intel's Lunar Lake series that power the 14-inch clamshell with a 2.8K OLED display with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz and touch support. HP rotates discounts through all of its laptop lines, and the savings can be sizable for the EliteBook Ultra G1i. The entry-level EliteBook Ultra G1 has a Core Ultra 5 226V, 16GB of RAM, Intel Arc graphics, a 512GB SSD and a 2.8K OLED display. The full price for this model is $2,419, but I've seen it on sale for as low as $1,599. Our test system features a Core Ultra 7 268V and 32GB of RAM. While it lists for $2,909, you can often find it on sale for as low as $1,899. As a business laptop, the EliteBook Ultra G1i comes backed with a one-year warranty that includes a year of HP's Wolf Security suite. With that, you get hardware-enforced threat detection, malware isolation, BIOS and browser protection and the ability to remotely lock and wipe the system if it's lost or stolen. You can extend the warranty to three years and also include on-site service; the standard one-year plan includes depot service. A similar EliteBook Ultra G1i to our test system costs £1,752 in the UK and AU$3,870 in Australia. HP EliteBook Ultra G1i performance The EliteBook Ultra G1i's Core Ultra 7 268V processor is nearly identical to the more popular Lunar Lake offering in the Core Ultra 258V. You'll find the 258V chip offered widely, and I've tested a number of laptops with it, including the Acer Swift 14 AI, Asus Zenbook S 14 and Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10. The only difference between the two is that the 268V has slightly higher max CPU and GPU frequencies, along with a couple more GPU TOPS. Both processors have eight physical cores (four performance and four low-power efficient cores) and don't feature Intel's Hyper-Threading technology that allows a physical core to act as two virtual cores. Matt Elliott/CNET The EliteBook Ultra G1i's results on our lab tests were nearly identical to those of the aforementioned trio of laptops with the Core Ultra 258V -- strong single-core performance and less impressive multicore performance because of the lack of Hyper-Threading. Graphics performance from the Intel Arc 140V GPU is strong among integrated GPUs, but not to the point of forgetting that the EliteBook Ultra G1i is built for business and not gaming or demanding graphics work. On Procyon's AI Computer Vision benchmark that measures integer math proficiency for AI workloads, the EliteBook Ultra G1i's performance was on par with other laptops that feature modern AI processors. Battery life was good but not great. On our YouTube streaming battery drain test, the EliteBook Ultra G1i ran for 13 hours and 39 minutes, which is long enough to get through nearly any workday but still hours and hours less than laptops with an ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X series CPU, some of which can run for more than 20 hours on a single charge. Ultra nice design The EliteBook Ultra G1i shares the same thin, rigid frame and elegant matte finish as the Dragonfly G4, but now comes in a dark navy blue -- a look I prefer over the Dragonfly's jet EliteBook Ultra definitely has a premium look and feel. The all-metal chassis feels MacBook Air-like in being exceptionally thin and light without feeling flimsy. The build quality is excellent, with solid rigidity and the matte finish is pleasing to both the eye and touch. Matt Elliott/CNET At 2.6 pounds, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is just a hair heavier than the 2.5-pound Dragonfly G4, which is not surprising since the 14-inch, 16:10 display is slightly larger than the Dragonfly G4's 13.5-inch, 3:2 display. For its size, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is very light. Most 14-inch laptops weigh closer to 3 pounds, and it's lighter than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air, which weighs 2.7 pounds. If you're looking for an even lighter 14-inch laptop, check out the Asus Zenbook A14, which weighs only 2.16 pounds. And among business laptops, Lenovo's flagship ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 weighs only 2.4 pounds. The keyboard is more MacBook than ThinkPad, which is to say the keys offer shallow travel and snappy feedback. If you prefer a deeper keypress with a more plush feel, then a ThinkPad is probably the way to go. But if you've used a MacBook and liked the typing experience and want a Windows laptop for work, then the transition to the EliteBook Ultra G1i will be pretty seamless. The touchpad, too, is MacBook-like. It's huge -- even larger than the touchpad on the Dragonfly G4 -- and offers a lively and customizable haptic response. Matt Elliott/CNET The EliteBook Ultra G1i's audio output is surprisingly good. The quad speakers produce a clear and defined sound field with enough power to fill a small room. I could hear separation between the highs and mids, along with some bass response. At full volume, there was some degradation in the clarity, but only a bit. The sound would be impressive for any entertainment laptop -- and even more so given the EliteBook Ultra's business focus. The display is outstanding. For starters, it's an OLED panel, so you get vibrant colors and excellent contrast with deep black levels. Next, its 2.8K resolution offers the perfect balance between pixel count and battery life for a 14-inch display. Images and text look crisp to the point that a 4K resolution isn't needed for this size panel and would only shorten battery life. (The more pixels a battery must power, the quicker it gets drained.) Also offering a great balance between display performance and battery life is the variable refresh rate that lets the display run at 120Hz for smooth movement but at a lower rate when it's not needed to extend battery life. HP scrapped the boxy 3:2 aspect ratio of the Dragonfly G4 for a standard 16:10 panel that's found on most modern laptops. There's a good reason it's so popular: It offers the best balance between an old-school 16:9 widescreen and the boxy 3:2 ratio that never really caught on. At 14 inches, a 16:10 provides enough room for most people to work comfortably without needing to connect to an external display. And combined with the EliteBook Ultra G1i's thin bezels and thin design, you get this roomy-enough display in a lightweight, very portable package. Matt Elliott/CNET It's also a touchscreen, which is a nice option since most people have grown accustomed to tapping on screens. And it has edge-to-edge glass for a beautiful, seamless look befitting of its premium price. I tested its color performance and brightness with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter and the display performed well. It covered 100% of the sRGB and P3 spaces and 94% of AdobeRGB while also hitting a peak brightness of 386 nits. That brightness figure might not wow you on its own, but an OLED display doesn't need to get as bright as an LCD panel because of its excellent contrast and effectively zero-nit blacks. Above the display is a crisp, 9-megapixel webcam with an IR sensor for use with Windows Hello. HP's Poly Camera Pro app is well designed and offers AI-assisted options for automatic framing and blurring your background, among other effects. Poly Camera Pro should let you connect an external webcam and use it simultaneously with the laptop's internal camera, but I was unable to get a two-camera shoot going as I could with the Dragonfly G4, which was the first laptop I've tested with dual-webcam support. It's a niche feature -- good for those who need to give online tutorials or create other content where a second camera could be useful -- but I've asked HP for guidance on how to use two cameras at the same time on the EliteBook Ultra G1i. I'll update this review with what I find out. Matt Elliott/CNET The port selection is minimal but useful. You get three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, which should suffice for most users. There's also a USB-A port, so there's no need to worry about an adapter for any of your USB devices. You'll need an adapter for an HDMI connection, however, since the USB-C ports are the only display output. Same goes for Ethernet. Should I buy the HP EliteBook Ultra G1i? At its sale price of $1,899, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is an excellent value and a great choice for your next work laptop. With a spectacular 14-inch, 2.8K OLED display powered by an Intel Lunar Lake CPU wrapped up in an elegant and compact enclosure, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is befitting of its Ultra label. Our test configuration is harder to recommend at its full price of nearly $3,000, so it's best to wait for HP's revolving and sizable discount to land on it if your purchase doesn't qualify for a volume discount. Hide our expert take Photo Gallery 1/1 How we test computers Photo Gallery 1/1 The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computerlike devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments. The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we're currently running on every compatible computer include Primate Labs Geekbench 6, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra. A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found on our How We Test Computers page. Hide our expert take Geekbench 6 CPU (multi-core) HP EliteBook X G1a 14224 Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 13471 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 11919 HP EliteBook Ultra G1i 11032 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 11029 Asus Zenbook S 14 10948 Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF 10918 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Geekbench 6 CPU (single-core) HP EliteBook Ultra G1i 2777 HP EliteBook X G1a 2729 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 2728 Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF 2701 Asus Zenbook S 14 2681 Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 2448 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 2321 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Cinebench 2024 CPU (multi-core) HP EliteBook X G1a 991 Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 739 Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF 610 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 583 HP EliteBook Ultra G1i 518 Asus Zenbook S 14 484 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 488 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Cinebench 2024 CPU (single-core) HP EliteBook Ultra G1i 123 Asus Zenbook S 14 122 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 121 Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF 121 HP EliteBook X G1a 112 Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 109 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 102 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance 3DMark Steel Nomad Asus Zenbook S 14 882 Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF 871 HP EliteBook Ultra G1i 820 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 728 HP EliteBook X G1a 603 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance PCMark 10 Pro Edition HP EliteBook X G1a 7068 HP EliteBook Ultra G1i 6815 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 6812 Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF 6811 Asus Zenbook S 14 6684 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 6178 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Procyon AI Computer Vision (integer) Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 1792 Asus Zenbook S 14 1790 Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF 1759 HP EliteBook X G1a 1753 HP EliteBook Ultra G1i 1705 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 1585 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance Online streaming battery drain test Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 23:11 Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF 22:13 Asus Zenbook S 14 15:20 HP EliteBook X G1a 14:50 HP EliteBook Ultra G1i 13:39 Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 13:27 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 8:34 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
