Microsoft has officially announced that Windows 11 PCs will come with an all-new Copilot key, signaling the further acceleration of their concerted efforts to bring generative AI mainstream.

Windows Copilot, which incorporates OpenAI’s ChatGPT generative AI chatbot and its Dall-E AI image generator into the Windows 11 Bing search engine, has been making its way to Windows users worldwide in early release form. But rather than simply allowing users to launch it with a mouse click from the taskbar, Microsoft is now fully embracing AI by hardwiring the capability into every new Windows 11 PC keyboard.

Microsoft claims that during CES 2024, the first PCs equipped with the new Copilot key will be revealed. These will be the first Windows PC keyboards without the Windows logoed key in almost thirty years. For those who are not aware with how it works, hitting the Windows key brings up the Start menu, where users can instantly access their pinned apps and a global search bar.

It’s obvious that replacing the Windows key with Copilot is a turning point for Microsoft, but it also highlights how significant the firm thinks AI will be in redefining the PC experience in the years to come.

Microsoft has been actively integrating OpenAI’s cutting-edge generative AI technology into its operating system and applications, having already invested well over $10 billion in the company.

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI integration tool available to enterprise users that may be licensed for use across the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform and Office software suite. Microsoft has not yet added these features to consumer editions of Microsoft 365, but that may happen this year given that the company has dubbed 2024 “the year of the AI PC.”