Microsoft has announced that it will introduce a new key to PC keyboards for the first time since 1994: the Copilot key. This key, located next to the Windows key, allows you to easily open Copilot, Microsoft's generative AI assistant. Starting this month, some new PCs running Microsoft's Windows operating system will have a special Copilot button that launches the company's AI chatbot.
Encouraging third-party computer makers to add an AI button to their laptops is the latest move by Microsoft to capitalize on its partnership with OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, and become a gateway for generative AI technology applications.
Throughout 2023, Microsoft has been working to add generative AI capabilities to its software and even released its new Copilot AI assistant for Windows 10 late last year.
For example, in May the publisher announced the arrival of Copilot on Windows 11:
Using Windows Copilot is simple and familiar: the button is in the middle of the taskbar and is easy to find and use. Once opened, the Windows Copilot sidebar remains consistent across your applications, programs and windows and is always available to you as a personal assistant. It turns every user into a power user, helping you take action, personalize your settings, and seamlessly connect to your favorite apps. What you love about Windows – copy/paste, Snap Wizard, snipping, customization – is at your fingertips like every other feature of the platform, and with Windows Copilot it's even better. For example, in addition to copying and pasting, you can also ask Windows Copilot to rewrite, summarize, or explain your content.
Just like Bing Chat, you can ask Windows Copilot a range of questions, from the simplest to the most complex. When I want to call my family in Cyprus, I can quickly check the local time to make sure I don't wake them up in the middle of the night. If I want to plan a trip to Cyprus, I can ask Windows Copilot to find flights and accommodations for my family for the winter holidays.
Then in September, the company announced that it would take the next step and integrate Copilot with its other tools: Today we are taking the next step by combining these features into a single experience that we call Microsoft Copilot, your everyday companion . Copilot uniquely integrates the context and intelligence of the web, your work data, and what you're doing on your PC to provide better support – with your privacy and security at the forefront. It will be a simple and seamless experience, available in Windows 11, Microsoft 365 and on our web browser with Edge and Bing. It works as an app or shows up when needed with a simple right click. We will continue to integrate Copilot features and connections into our most used apps over time to deliver on our vision of a unique experience that works for a lifetime.
These efforts to transform PCs at the software level are now extending to the hardware as well
Microsoft has decided to add a dedicated physical Copilot key to PC keyboards, customizing the standard Windows keyboard layout for the first time since the Windows key appeared on the natural keyboard in 1994.
The Copilot key, as expected, opens the Copilot generative AI assistant in Windows 10 and Windows 11. On a current Windows PC with Copilot enabled, you can currently do the same by pressing Windows + C. For PCs without Copilot enabled, including those not signed in to Microsoft accounts, the Copilot key opens Windows Search instead (although this is somewhat redundant since pressing the Windows key and then typing directly into that The search function is also activated in the “Start” menu).
A short demo video from Microsoft shows the Copilot key between the group of arrow keys and the right Alt key, a spot where many keyboards typically place a Menu key, a right Ctrl key, another Windows key, or something similar. The exact positioning and replacement key may vary depending on the size and layout of the keyboard.
Although most people now connect to the Internet (and AI applications) via phone rather than computer, this is a symbolic start to what is expected to be an extremely competitive year as technology companies race to outdo each other in AI to trump applications. even if they have not yet clarified all the ethical and legal consequences. Last month, for example, The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that tools like ChatGPT and Copilot (formerly known as Bing Chat) were created using their copyrighted news articles without permission. Copyright.
Microsoft was asked if a Copilot key would now be required on OEM PCs; The company has assured that the key is not currently required, but expects Copilot keys to be required on Windows 11 keyboards over time. Microsoft often imposes additional hardware requirements on major PC manufacturers that sell Windows on their devices, beyond what is strictly necessary to run Windows itself.
This new twist shows how much Microsoft wants people to use Copilot and its other generative AI products. Many of the company's previous initiatives (Bing, Edge, Cortana, and Microsoft Store, to name a few) were never successfully integrated into hardware in this way. Back in the days of Windows 8, Microsoft required OEMs to include a Windows key as part of the display bezel on devices with touchscreens, but that requirement eventually disappeared.
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Microsoft isn't the only company offering personalized details. Apple pioneered this concept in the 1980s with the Command key, which featured a square loop design (at times it also bore an Apple logo). Google has a search button on its Chromebooks and was the first company to experiment with an AI-specific button to launch its voice assistant on its now-discontinued Pixelbook.
However, Microsoft has a much tighter grip on the PC market thanks to its licensing agreements with third-party manufacturers such as Lenovo, Dell and HP. According to research firm IDC, about 82% of all desktops, laptops and workstations run Windows, compared to 9% of Apple's internal operating system and just over 6% of Google's operating system.
Sources: Microsoft Copilot, Video DMO (in text)
And you ?
What do you think about adding a new Copilot key to PC keyboards? Is that a good idea or not?
Do you use Copilot in your daily life? If yes, for which tasks? If not, why not?
What advantages and disadvantages does Copilot have compared to other AI assistants such as Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant?
How has Copilot changed the way you work, create, learn or play?
What are the limitations or risks of Copilot? How can you avoid or minimize them?
What features or improvements would you like to see in Copilot in the future?