Microsoft seems to actually be banking on the idea of keeping the Copilot branding for its AI (previously known as Bing Chat). Which moves away from its usual patterns of constantly rebranding/renaming everything it does. This can be seen in its latest move to add a new key to keyboards dedicated to it.
This is the first time since the 90s that the company ever considered adding a new key to the keyboard layout. Making it a pretty notable move and means it is all in with the new Copilot name and investing in its future.
The new key replaces the Ctrl key on the right, leaving just the one on the left. So you aren’t actually getting a new key in addition to the ones that are there but simply swapping one out. A common action usually taken by PC manufacturers for custom keys from time to time. This would make it a permanent key designed for Windows 11 (and future versions) computers.
It will clearly interact with Copilot and give you instant access to it from within Windows 11 and the common apps that take advantage of it like Microsoft Office 365. We will start seeing it pop up on new PC models launching now and during CES 2024 (Las Vegas), where many manufacturers are set to announce what’s to come. Including new models coming to Dell’s XPS series laptops (XPS 14 and XPS 16).
As surprising as it is to see a keyboard key dedicated to something new, it was kind of expected with how deeply integrated AI will be in our daily lives. It is here to stay whether you like it or not. With the exception that you may have the ability to disable it if you don’t want to make use of it.
