Microsoft has announced the first major change to its keyboards in almost 30 years – the addition of an AI key.
The company, which is a major investor in OpenAI, has already implemented its Copilot AI tool in a number of its branded products, including Microsoft 365 and Bing.
However, the addition of a specific Copilot key on all new Windows 11 PCs will give users the ability to use AI to search, write emails and create images at the touch of a button.
“Nearly 30 years ago, we introduced the Windows key to the PC keyboard that enabled people all over the world to interact with Windows,” explained Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer.
“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.”
Mehdi added that AI would be “seamlessly woven into Windows from the system, to the silicon, the hardware […] making 2024 the year of the AI PC.”
In the UK alone, the Artificial Intelligence sector is set to be worth £2.4 trillion by 2024. Over recent months, it’s been transforming the media sector, from marketing and PR, to using it to create the final Beatles’ song and “revolutionising” organ transplants.
However, there are warnings, MPs identified 12 challenges that needed to be addressed for “public safety and confidence” in AI are to be secured.
Sky News’ first tests of an AI reporter saw it pitch lots of stories, but it also fabricated evidence and the newspaper industry also warned that AI-generated information “posed a greater threat than ever before.”
Nonetheless Microsoft is confident of the AI “shift”:
“The platform shift driven by AI innovation continues to grow rapidly and powerfully, fundamentally changing the way we use technology across work and life. At Microsoft, we are committed to empowering people and organizations to adapt and thrive in this new age of AI,” added Mehdi.
“As we embark on this new year, we are filled with optimism and excitement. We will continue to build Windows to be the destination for the best AI experiences. This will require an operating system that blurs the lines between local and cloud processing. The year ahead promises to be nothing short of extraordinary!”
