Credit: Microsoft
Exciting news about the next Windows laptop: a small but powerful design tweak is on the horizon.
Recently, Microsoft announced an upcoming addition to Windows 11 PC keyboards – the “Copilot key.” This new key aims to provide users with instant access to Copilot’s AI-powered tools, activated at the push of a button. Just like the Windows key that brings up the Start menu, this new feature will seamlessly launch Copilot in Windows, offering an AI-powered assistant that operates within the operating system and across Microsoft’s app ecosystem.
Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft’s Drive towards Accessibility for Copilot
In February, Microsoft launched a fervor of generative AI with Copilot, a powerful tool capable of generating ideas, drafting emails and documents, summarizing conversations, and more, all thanks to OpenAI’s latest large language models and data sourced from Microsoft 365 apps. After significant development, including Bing Chat’s rebranding to Copilot, the introduction of Copilot for Microsoft 365, and the integration of Copilot in Windows 11, the consolidation of these AI components into one button is a natural progression.
The introduction of the Copilot key also signifies a symbolic convergence of hardware, software, and interconnectedness. Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, shared, “In this new year, we will be ushering in a significant shift toward a more personal and intelligent computing future where AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system, to the silicon, to the hardware,” Mehdi continued, “This will not only simplify people’s computing experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC.”
Look out for the new Copilot key on many Windows 11 PCs at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). Expect availability, including in upcoming Surface devices, beginning in late February.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft
Cecily reports on AI, Apple, and emerging tech trends at Mashable. Before earning her master’s degree at Columbia Journalism School, she worked with startups and social impact businesses for Unreasonable Group and B Lab. Prior to that, she co-founded a startup consulting business for emerging entrepreneurial hubs in South America, Europe, and Asia. Follow her on Twitter at @cecily_mauran.
