Microsoft today announced the introduction of a new Copilot key devoted to its AI assistant on Windows PC keyboards. The key will provide instant access to Microsoft's conversational Copilot feature, offering a ChatGPT-style AI bot right from a button press. The Copilot key represents the first significant Windows keyboard change in nearly 30 years since the addition of the Windows key itself in the 90s. Microsoft sees it as similarly transformative - making AI an integrated part of devices. The company expects broad adoption from PC manufacturers starting this spring. The Copilot key will likely substitute keys like menu or Office on standard layouts. While currently just launching Copilot, Microsoft could also enable combo presses in the future.

The physical keyboard button helps make AI feel native rather than an add-on, as Microsoft aggressively pushes Copilot into Windows 11 and Edge. The company declared its aim to make 2024 the "year of the AI PC", with Copilot as the entry point. Microsoft envisions AI eventually becoming seamlessly woven into computing through system, silicon, and hardware advances. The Copilot key may appear minor, but it signals that profound change is on the horizon. However, users will only embrace the vision if Copilot proves consistently beneficial rather than gimmicky. Microsoft is betting that injecting AI deeper into PCs will provide usefulness, justifying the disruption. With major OS and hardware partners already committed to adopting the Copilot key, Microsoft's AI-first computer vision is materializing rapidly. The button press that invokes Copilot may soon feel as natural as hitting the Windows key or spacebar. As we await the reported launch of Windows 12, we can expect deeper integration with Copilot to appear.