(CNN) – Microsoft intends to add a “Copilot” key that summons an artificial intelligence-powered assistant with the click of a button in its biggest update to the “Windows” keyboard in three decades.
The Copilot switch will soon be available for some new computers made and sold by a variety of manufacturers that run on the Windows operating system, the software giant said Thursday, as it heralds “the year of the AI-powered PC.”
This means that with the click of a button, PC users will soon be able to engage with Copilot, the software giant’s AI-powered chatbot, to ask questions or help craft emails.
“This will not only simplify people’s computing experience, but also expand it, making 2024 the year of the AI-powered PC,” Youssef Mahdi, executive vice president and chief consumer marketing officer at Microsoft, said in a company blog post announcing the Copilot switch. “
Mahdi added that the new key “will make it easier to use Copilot in your daily life.” Copilot, in particular, is powered by OpenAI’s core technology following Microsoft’s $13 billion investment in the AI startup.
If CoPilot isn’t yet available in your country or isn’t available on your device, pressing the key will launch a Windows search.
The new key features the Copilot bar logo and is located on the lower right side of the keyboard, near the Space and Alt buttons.
This addition marks the first major change to a Windows PC keyboard since Microsoft added the Windows key in 1994. This button has appeared on laptop and desktop keyboards sold by companies like Dell, Lenovo, and HP.
The move was announced by Microsoft ahead of the CES technology conference scheduled to be held next week, where more AI product updates are expected to be unveiled by a large number of companies. Over the past year, major technology companies have raced to develop and integrate AI tools across their product portfolios.
In the company’s blog post announcing the Copilot switch, Mahdi also pointed to a “big transformation” coming in 2024 for Microsoft, “where AI will be seamlessly integrated into Windows from system to hardware.”
