Windows laptops are getting AI on the keyboard this year

Just how big a deal does Microsoft think Copilot is? Enough to add a new key to this year's crop of Windows 11 laptops. Much as you'd expect, this new key will seamlessly launch Microsoft's Copilot AI chatbot at the press of a button. 

In a blog post announcing the move, Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi framed it as the most significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades.

"We believe it will empower people to participate in the AI transformation more easily," he said.

Given that the change was announced just days ahead of this year's CES in Las Vegas, expect to see plenty of new laptops from brands like HP, ASUS, Lenovo and Dell featuring the new Copilot key at the show itself.

"Over the coming days leading up to and at CES, you will start to see the Copilot key on many of the new Windows 11 PCs from our ecosystem partners, with availability beginning in late February through Spring, including on upcoming Surface devices," Mehdi said.

While it is a pretty bold move to make changes that go against what people expect when it comes to Windows laptops, it's also true that removing a layer of potential friction between consumers and Copilot could result in more people using it. It's also true that keyboards have evolved over time and even the likes of the Windows key were at one point unfamiliar.

That said, the road to modern keyboard design is filled with plenty of dead ends. For example, Apple introduced the Touch Bar in 2016 and retired it in 2023. Not every big change to what works pans out and while the tech industry remains in the throes of AI fever, it's hard to say how this one will fare in the long run.