Microsoft has unveiled a significant update to its keyboards, introducing an artificial intelligence (AI) key, the most significant change in three decades. This AI key provides users with access to Copilot, Microsoft’s AI tool, on new Windows 11 PCs. As a major investor in OpenAI, which powers Copilot’s AI capabilities, Microsoft integrates AI into various products, including Microsoft 365 and Bing search. The introduction of the AI key is considered a transformative moment, akin to the addition of the Windows key almost 30 years ago, promising to simplify and amplify the user experience.
This innovative addition comes as a response to the growing influence of AI in daily computing tasks, with Copilot assisting users in functions such as searching, writing emails, and creating images. Microsoft’s rival, Apple, has incorporated a Siri button on its MacBooks for several years. The new keyboards featuring the Copilot key are expected to be available on new products starting February. Microsoft will showcase these products, highlighting the AI key’s capabilities, at the upcoming CES tech event in Las Vegas.
Copilot, based on OpenAI’s GPT-4 large language model, has been integrated into various Microsoft products, including Office 365 tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Teams, enabling functionalities such as meeting summarization, email composition, and presentation creation. The AI key announcement aligns with Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to integrate AI across its ecosystem. The UK’s competition watchdog is reportedly scrutinizing Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI following boardroom changes that resulted in a closer alliance between the two entities.
