Microsoft is considering the addition of a Copilot key to your PC keyboard.

 

Microsoft aims to designate 2024 as the "year of the AI PC," and to emphasize this, the company has revealed plans for a new Copilot key on PC keyboards. This physical key, slated to join the ranks of familiar keys like Windows, Control, and Alt, will replace the right Control key, residing between the Alt key and the left arrow key.

In a statement, Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, highlighted the significance of this change, asserting that it marks the first major alteration to the Windows PC keyboard in almost three decades. The Copilot key is anticipated to simplify engagement with AI transformations, seamlessly activating the Copilot in Windows experience when pressed.

For regions without Copilot availability, the key will initiate Windows Search. Keyboards featuring this addition are set to debut at CES in Las Vegas, with shipments expected to commence in late February.

Microsoft, in collaboration with chip partners like AMD and Intel, envisions offloading AI inferencing onto local silicon to unlock new AI experiences on Windows PCs. While existing keyboards will remain functional, users may have the option to remap the right Control key to emulate the Copilot key, or simply disregard the new feature.