Microsoft intends to make 2024 “the year of the AI PC,” and as a first step toward that goal, it is significantly altering the keyboard on upcoming laptops and PCs. A new Copilot key that enables instant access to Microsoft’s AI-powered Windows Copilot experience with a single keystroke will be included with a range of new PCs and laptops from Microsoft’s partners.
For Windows PC keyboard layout, the Copilot key is the first significant alteration in almost thirty years. “We added the Windows key to the PC keyboard almost 30 years ago, allowing people to interact with Windows anywhere in the world,” explains Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer for consumers. “We see this as another pivotal point in our relationship with Windows, as Copilot serves as the gateway to the PC AI space.”
The menu key, also known as the application key, was first introduced decades ago together with the Windows key. This new Copilot key will take its place. On most keyboards, it will be positioned next to the alt key on the right, though the exact location varies depending on the OEM and the market. It’s in the same location as Microsoft’s 2019 keyboard addition of an Office key. The Copilot key only activates Windows Copilot, an inbuilt chatbot in Windows 11 that functions similarly to ChatGPT and may respond to questions and even initiate activities.
The Copilot key will start Windows Search if Windows Copilot isn’t yet available in your nation. At present, the Copilot key is only a start key; the current Windows key opens the Start menu and may be paired with a number of other keys to create shortcuts to Windows features and functions. Microsoft may allow you to utilize the Copilot key in conjunction with other keys in the future, but this is unclear at this time.
Microsoft is keeping the announcements for the Consumer Electronics Show next week and beyond, refusing to comment on which OEMs will include the Copilot key. According to Mehdi, the Copilot key will be made available on new Windows 11 PCs from our ecosystem partners later this month and throughout the spring, including on future Surface devices.
The specialized Copilot key on Surface devices was a rumor that has now been verified, and Microsoft is reportedly releasing new Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 variants in the spring.
Microsoft seems to have integrated Copilot into everything in 2023, and this new Copilot key is a part of the larger AI-driven Windows updates that are scheduled for 2024. “With AI being seamlessly integrated into Windows from the system to the silicon to the hardware, this new year will usher in a significant shift toward a more personal and intelligent computing future,” says Mehdi. “This will make 2024 the year of the AI PC, not only simplifying but also amplifying people’s computing experience.”
In addition to integrating AI into an increasing number of its products and services, Microsoft is developing a Windows “refresh” that will emphasize new AI features. Microsoft’s AI drive is still ongoing, as seen by the company’s branding of Microsoft Edge as the “AI browser” at the beginning of the year.
