Microsoft has announced that Windows PCs will get a new Copilot key, in case there wasn’t enough AI in your life

Microsoft is adding a new key to the keyboard of Windows 11 PCs. The new Copilot key will allow for the fastest access to AI. Having made a $10 Billion dollar investment in OpenAI in 2023, Microsoft has moved quickly to implement CoPilot into Windows 11, and Office, and now in the most bolt move yet, is putting it on your keyboard.

This move is likely to be met with some different opinions, for some, this will be a welcome addition and make prompting Copilot as fast as searching the start menu. For others, this move is likely to feel like Microsoft is pushing AI down their throat and could be seen as a step too far.

We can expect to see the Copilot key come to Microsoft’s own Surface hardware first, followed by any PC makers they can get to adopt on their behalf. The power move from Microsoft would be to force OEMs to include a Copilot key on hardware devices, in exchange for continuing to sell them OEM Windows licenses.

With CES 2024 just days away, Microsoft says we should start to see the Copilot key on many of the new Windows 11 PCs from partners, with the first devices available in late February.

Currently, if you run the Windows 11 preview, you can enable Copilot preview on the Taskbar, and launching it will open a Copilot Preview panel on the right of your default monitor. Personally, I’d love to see this as a centred window, given many of us work with multiple displays or ultrawide displays and this can open out of sight.

What I don’t understand is why Microsoft don’t start with a keyboard shortcut to launch Copilot, then watch metrics to see how much use it gets before pushing forward with a hardware key, however, this appears its happening regardless.

This was announced in a new blog post from Yusuf Mehdi, Executive Vice President, Consumer Chief Marketing Officer.

The introduction of the Copilot key marks the first significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades. We believe it will empower people to participate in the AI transformation more easily. The Copilot key joins the Windows key as a core part of the PC keyboard and when pressed, the new key will invoke the Copilot in Windows experience to make it seamless to engage Copilot in your day to day*. Nearly 30 years ago, we introduced the Windows key to the PC keyboard that enabled people all over the world to interact with Windows. 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.

Yusuf Mehdi, Executive Vice President, Consumer Chief Marketing Officer.

Enjoy the AI future, it’s coming fast.