Before the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next week, Microsoft has announced a major change to the Windows keyboard after nearly three decades by adding a new dedicated button to launch the AI tool Copilot.
The Copilot key will be located to the right of the spacebar and activate Microsoft’s recently released Copilot service. This key combination will assist users in performing tasks such as document summarization, music recommendations, and answering questions that you might ask a search engine or AI chatbot. It will replace the menu key or the right control key on some keyboards. Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Consumer Marketing and Marketing Operations, stated, “We believe it will make it easier for everyone to engage in the AI transformation process. The new key will launch Copilot in Windows, enabling you to interact with this AI tool seamlessly on a daily basis.”
The addition of the AI button once again reaffirms Microsoft’s commitment to advancing applications of artificial intelligence technology. The company has also integrated Generative AI into flagship products such as Windows 11 and Microsoft’s search tool, Bing.
Copilot itself is built on data acquired from learning ChatGPT-4 by OpenAI.
This AI button will appear on Windows 11 laptops and PCs from Microsoft’s partners before this year’s CES event, and they will also be showcased at the exhibition. Currently, Dell is the first company to commit to incorporating the AI key into their products.
Microsoft expects laptop and PC manufacturers to start announcing products with integrated AI keys as early as February. Over time, this AI button will become a mandatory requirement on all keyboards.
For Windows users who are not using Copilot or those living in countries without Copilot, this button will display Windows Search. Current Windows users can activate Copilot by pressing Windows + C. Mehdi emphasized, “Windows’ new function key not only simplifies the computer usage experience for everyone but also amplifies it, making 2024 the year of AI computing.”
Mehdi stated that the new Copilot key is “the first significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades,” alluding to the time when the company introduced the Windows key with the launch of the Windows Natural keyboard in September 1994. At that time, pressing the Windows key would launch the Start menu in Windows 95. The Windows key has become a standard feature on most Windows laptops and PC keyboards, with the logo changing alongside each Windows release logo.
Source : CNet
