Windows keyboards to get their first big change in 30 years
Technology
The keyboards will get a button dedicated to summoning an AI
(Web Desk) - The key is the first major change to Windows' keyboards in 30 years and further signals AI's creep into everyday tech.
Windows keyboards are set to get their first big change in 30 years, and it's all about AI.
Following Microsoft's release of its Copilot chatbot to Windows 11, the company is working with partners to add a key to Windows keyboards specifically to summon the tool.
"Nearly 30 years ago, we introduced the Windows key to the PC keyboard that enabled people all over the world to interact with Windows," Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi wrote in a blog post.
"We see this as another transformative moment in our journey with Windows where Copilot will be the entry point into the world of AI on the PC."
The Copilot key will replace the menu key — often depicted as a vertical rectangle with horizontal lines inside of it, occasionally joined by a mouse cursor — which serves the same purpose as a right click.
Mehdi did not say which computers will debut the Copilot key, instead urging readers to look forward to news coming out of next week's Consumer Electronics Show. The first computers with the Copilot key are set to reach customers in late February.
Microsoft Copilot came to Windows 11 users in September.
The AI chatbot can answer questions, perform common tasks like taking screenshots and adjust computer settings.
Copilot is currently available as a preview for Windows 10.
