Microsoft announced it will add an “AI Copilot” key to Windows keyboards. This marks the first new addition to the standard keyboard since the “Windows” key was added in 1994. 

The upcoming change was announced on the Windows Experience Blog where executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer Yusuf Medhi described 2024 as the year of the artificial intelligence (AI) PC.

“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. This will not only simplify people’s computing experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC.”

According to the blog post, the new key will “make it seamless to engage Copilot in your day to day.” Presumably, once launched, pressing the key will summon Microsoft’s Copilot virtual assistant. There’s currently no word on the exact functionality or if the UI experience will be customizable.

Microsoft hasn’t responded to a request for more information as of the time of this article’s publishing.

Ahead of the Copilot key announcement, Microsoft appears to have quietly rebranded its Edge web browser on mobile devices. A quick glance at the Android and iOS marketplaces shows a new “AI Browser” addendum to “Microsoft Edge” for each product.

Image source: Google Play.

Microsoft’s pivot to AI began in earnest with its $1 billion investment in ChatGPT maker OpenAI in 2019. Subsequently, the Redmond company’s now invested more than $10 billion in OpenAI and promises to integrate AI into every aspect of its products, services, and business going forward.

While the announced Copilot key addition to the Windows keyboard should come as a welcome change to those already using Microsoft’s Copilot AI services, the rebranding of the Edge browser on mobile devices appears to have struck a sour chord with at least some tech insiders.

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