Microsoft unveiled the first major modification to the Windows keyboard in three decades on Thursday (Jan 4), saying that a new AI button, linked to Microsoft Copilot, will be added in laptops and other devices that will be released in the near future. The button will be known as the Copilot key, and it will be located to the right of the space bar. When pressed, it will launch Microsoft’s freshly introduced Copilot service.
The AI service will assist individuals in a range of tasks such as summarizing material in a paper, answering search engine inquiries, recommending music, and much more.
“We believe it will empower people to participate in the AI transformation more easily,” Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, wrote in a blog post published Thursday. “The new key will invoke the Copilot in Windows experience to make it seamless to engage Copilot in your day to day.”
Microsoft is enthusiastic about artificial intelligence. It is a key supporter of OpenAI, the tech startup behind the blockbuster ChatGPT chatbot that sparked the public’s interest in AI in the first place.
The addition of a dedicated AI key is likely to be interpreted as Microsoft’s increased commitment to the technology.
The tech behemoth has also used generative AI in several of its products. This feature is already available in Windows 11 and Microsoft’s search engine Bing.
The Copilot button is likely to appear in the initial wave of forthcoming Windows 11 laptops and PCs from Microsoft-partnered firms. Microsoft has hinted that more devices featuring the Copilot button will be released in February and subsequent months.
“This [new button] will not only simplify people’s computing experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC,” Mehdi wrote.