Your next Windows laptop will have a ‘Copilot key’ for easy access to ChatGPT rival

Your next Windows keyboard will have a small design change with big implications.

On Thursday, Microsoft announced the introduction of a "Copilot key" to Windows 11 PC keyboards. This means users will have access Copilot's AI-powered tools with the press of a button. Like the Windows key that brings up the Start menu, the new key will launch Copilot in Windows, an AI-powered assistant that works within the operating system and across Microsoft's app ecosystem.

The Copilot key for Windows 11 PCs. Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft is making Copilot more accessible

Last February, Microsoft kicked off its generative AI frenzy with Copilot, a productivity tool that can generate ideas, draft emails and documents, summarize conversations, and more, thanks to OpenAI's latest large language models and data pulled from Microsoft 365 apps. After a year of building out Bing Chat (now rebranded to Copilot), Copilot for Microsoft 365, and Copilot in Windows 11, it's a fitting next step to consolidate all of the AI pieces by tucking them into one button.

The Copilot key also marks a symbolic merge of hardware, software, and interconnectivity. "In this new year, we will be ushering in a significant shift toward a more  personal and intelligent computing future where AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system, to the silicon, to the hardware," said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer. "This will not only simplify people’s computing  experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC."

You'll start to see the new Copilot key on many Windows 11 PCs at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). Availability, including upcoming Surface devices, will begin in late February.