Microsoft Introduces a New Windows Keyboard Key for the First Time in Three Decades

By Maggie Last updated Jan 6, 2024

Microsoft announced that it will add a new key to the Windows keyboard: the co-pilot key. This is the first new addition to the Windows keyboard since Windows Key was released in 1994.

Microsoft released Copilot AI Assistant for Windows, an artificial intelligence chatbot intertwined with the Windows 11 operating system, in 2023. Similar to other AI tools like ChatGPT or Bard, Copilot can help users in many ways. Microsoft uses the OpenAI standard GPT-4 language as the basis for Copilot.

However, Microsoft hopes that Copilot will be a better tool than its competitors because of Copilot’s compatibility with other programs running on Windows users’ computers. Microsoft seems to be aiming for Copilot to be big in 2024.

Microsoft Executive Vice President and Head of Consumer Affairs Yusuf Mehdi announced that Windows 11 PCs will use the new Copilot key starting in 2024. You can establish a connection using Copilot because the powerful AI assistant is always ready at the touch of a button.

Mehdi explained that fans can expect to see the Copilot key on several new PCs from Microsoft’s community partners this year, with some of them appearing at CES 2024 later this month. Future Surface devices will also come with a new key. Microsoft’s press release shows off the new co-pilot key located on the right side of the keyboard, between the alt key and the left key. However, Microsoft partners may publish the keys elsewhere.

With the launch of ChatGPT, the powerful capabilities of artificial intelligence have finally been made public, and Microsoft looks like it wants to be a major player in this wave.

Although Microsoft already owns a 49% stake in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, the tech appears to have broader plans for its own AI tools. Windows PCs are not the only devices on which Microsoft uses artificial intelligence.

In 2023, Microsoft announced its partnership with Inworld AI to create artificial intelligence tools for video game developers. Since this is a multi-year collaboration, it’s unclear when fans can expect this powerful device to launch.

The Xbox head explained that the device pushes the boundaries of gaming, making it easier for developers to create dialogue, stories, quests and more for their games. It seems that artificial intelligence will be an important player in the development of games in the future.

Square Enix, another player in the gaming industry, recently confirmed that it plans to “collaborate” using artificial intelligence in future projects. The company’s president expressed hope that AI will lead to better game development and commerce.