Quote:Microsoft announced today that (many) future Windows 11 PCs will ship with a new key on the keyboard. The Copilot key is the first major change to the keyboard since the introduction of the Windows key almost 30 years ago.

Microsoft has big plans for 2024 in regards to AI. While the company has been tight-lipped, it is almost certain that it plans to release a new version of Windows in the year. Whether it will be called Windows 12 or something else is up for debate. It is also unclear if it will be provided as an update for Windows 11 or launches alongside Windows 11 as a separate system.

What is clear is that Microsoft is going to push AI in that new version of Windows. While Microsoft did introduced Copilot in Windows 10 and 11 already, it feels more like a rushed response to AI taking over the world by storm. Whether the next iteration in Windows Next will change that remains to be seen.

Microsoft did introduce several Copilots already in its products. There is Microsoft Security Copilot, Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot, as well as Copilots for Microsoft 365, Sales, Viva or Service among others.

The company's next Surface devices will come with dedicated AI chips and it is almost certain that many Microsoft partners will follow the lead.

The Copilot key "joins the Windows key as a core part of the PC keyboard" according to Yusuf Mehdi, Executive Vice President, Consumer Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft.
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