I built a PC for a colleague in January of 2025. At the time, the cost for the three main components — the motherboard, the processor, and the DDR5 memory — was about $800. A few weeks ago, I had to buy the same components, more or less, for another coworker’s PC build. The bill: $1,200. And it’s all thanks to AI. Whether you use AI or not, it’s probably going to impact your life this year — and I’m not just talking about search results or slop.