Microsoft is adding a new button to keyboards for Windows PCs and laptops that will «call» an AI assistant. It’s the first major design change in decades and underscores the company’s commitment to artificial intelligence as businesses struggle to embrace and adapt to rapidly evolving technology.
KEY FACTS
- Microsoft will add a button dedicated to its Copilot AI assistant on Windows 11 PCs, executive vice president and chief consumer marketing officer Yusuf Mehdi said in a blog post.
- Pressing the button will invoke Microsoft’s Copilot, an AI-based chatbot that can help users research, draft text, create images, and even turn their ideas into songs.
- The new button will sit to the right of the spacebar and replace either the right control key (CTRL) or the menu key, depending on the keyboard layout.
- If Copilot is not available or disabled on a device, the button will launch Windows Search, Microsoft said.
- Mehdi said the update «marks the first significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades,» adding that it would «empower people» to participate in the AI revolution.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Mehdi said the new button will be seen on many of the new Windows 11 PCs to be unveiled at the upcoming CES tech show in Las Vegas later this month. The feature will be available to users from the end of February, Mehdi added, including on Microsoft’s upcoming Surface devices.
IMPORTANT QUOTE
Microsoft believes 2024 will be «the year of the AI PC,» Mehdi said. Microsoft «will usher in a significant shift toward a more personal and intelligent computing future, where AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system, through the software, and into the hardware,» he added. «The year ahead promises to be extraordinary!»
KEY STORY
Companies around the world have quickly started to take advantage of the latest advances in artificial intelligence, especially after the popularity of OpenAI’s Chat-GPT. Microsoft, which has invested heavily in and works closely with OpenAI, has been at the forefront of this change and is quickly integrating the technology into many of its products. This includes many of its flagship brands, including Bing Search and Windows Office. Its move to codify its AI assistant through hardware changes could spark a broader shift in the industry. Microsoft is an incredibly powerful player in consumer technology—its Windows operating system is by far the most widely used computer operating system in the world by a wide margin—and through licensing agreements it has significant influence over other computer manufacturers. As the entire industry embraces AI, customers may need to update hardware more frequently to keep up with rapidly advancing software developments.
