Artificial intelligence continues to be a hot topic for the tech industry, as Microsoft announced its latest endeavor into AI: a new Copilot key for Windows keyboards.
Announced in a new blog post, Microsoft's executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer Yusuf Mehdi revealed the company is introducing a new key to Windows keyboards this year. This marks a significant shift in the Windows keyboard layout, representing the first big change to Microsoft's keyboards since the introduction of the Windows key in 1994.
"Nearly 30 years ago, we introduced the Windows key to the PC keyboard that enabled people all over the world to interact with Windows," Mehdi wrote. "We see this as another transformative moment in our journey with Windows where Copilot will be the entry point into the world of AI on the PC."
As you can see from the image above, the Copilot key will be located next to the ALT key on the right side of the keyboard. Of course, the Copilot key could be placed somewhere else as Microsoft's OEM partners begin making laptops that integrate the key into the laptop's keyboard layout.
When clicked, the Copilot key will launch Microsoft Copilot, an AI chatbot launched last year that is built into Windows 11, in addition to Microsoft's web browsers Bing and Edge. Similar to chatbots, including Bard, ChatGPT, and Grok, users can ask Microsoft Copilot questions.
Mehdi did not specify which products would include the key; however, many of its OEM partners, like Asus, will be at CES 2024 next week. Some of these Windows laptops announced might already include the Copilot key. Additionally, Microsoft is rumored to lean heavily into AI in its new lineup of Surface laptops and Pro devices.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
