The new Copilot key for Windows keyboards. Image: Microsoft
The new Copilot key, which is the first addition to the Windows keyboard in nearly 30 years, will launch the AI chatbot for Windows 11 PC users.
Microsoft have today (4 January) announced the addition of a new Copilot key to Windows 11 PCs, which will begin appearing on keyboards this year.
The new key, which will be located between the right-hand alt key and the left arrow key on the keyboard, will launch Microsoft’s AI chatbot on the PC when pressed. However, if Copilot is not available or enabled for a user, this key will launch Windows Search instead.
According to Yusuf Mehdi, executive VP and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft, this addition marks the first major change to the Windows PC keyboard since the introduction of the Windows key nearly three decades ago.
“Nearly 30 years ago, we introduced the Windows key to the PC keyboard that enabled people all over the world to interact with Windows,” said Mehdi in a press release. “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.”
Mehdi added that the Copilot key will be making an appearance “on many of the new Windows 11 PCs from our ecosystem partners” at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show, which is taking place from 9-12 January this year, and will become available in late February or later in spring. Mehdi said the new key will be featured on upcoming Microsoft Surface devices.
Microsoft Copilot was first revealed in 2023 as an “everyday AI companion”. Since its introduction, a number of upgrades and features have been announced for the chatbot. In December, Microsoft announced plans to add OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo model and the Dall-E 3 image generator to Copilot, as a result of the continued cooperation between the two companies. This partnership has recently come under scrutiny from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, which is investigating whether Microsoft’s considerable investment in OpenAI raises any competition concerns.
Meanwhile, as the tech giant’s interest in AI becomes more and more focused, some of the company’s other tech ventures have not experienced the same level of enthusiasm, such as its mixed reality offering. The company announced last month that Windows Mixed Reality would be discontinued.
10 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of essential sci-tech news.
