Microsoft is introducing a dedicated AI Copilot hotkey on Windows 11 laptops and PCs. The move, announced at CES 2024, heralds “the year of the AI PC,” according to Microsoft Executive VP and Consumer CMO Yusuf Mehdi, who said the keyboard enhancement will “not only simplify people’s computing experience but also amplify it.” The addition of the Copilot key is the first big change to the Windows PC keyboard since the four-paned Windows key was introduced in 1994. When pressed, the new key will open Copilot for seamless engagement with artificial intelligence.

CNET writes that “Microsoft’s move is a step toward putting its AI services in front of more than a billion Windows users,” in what it describes as “a bold bid for AI dominance.”

Ars Technica explains the Copilot key will summon “the Copilot generative AI assistant within Windows 10 and Windows 11,” a result that can also be achieved through the key combination Windows + C “on an up-to-date Windows PC with Copilot enabled.” If Copilot is not enabled, or on PCs that aren’t signed in with a Microsoft account, Windows Search will open instead.

“With the push of a convenient keyboard button, Windows 11 users can launch Microsoft’s generative AI tool, which is designed to do everything from help you shop for specific items to write a short story, get information and plan travel or a meal,” notes CNET. The new button “serves as a physical portal to its Copilot service, which helps people perform tasks like summarizing documents, recommending music and answering questions you might ask a search engine or AI chatbot.”

“We believe it will empower people to participate in the AI transformation more easily,” Mehdi said in a blog post that explains the Copilot key rollout began “leading up to and at CES,” on “new Windows 11 PCs from our ecosystem partners, with availability beginning later this month through spring, including on upcoming Surface devices.”

“The Copilot key is just a launch key for now,” writes The Verge, adding that “it’s not clear if Microsoft plans to let you use the Copilot key in combination with other keys in the future.” For the most part, “it will replace the menu key (application key) that was introduced alongside the Windows key decades ago” and will be located “next to the right-hand alt key on most keyboards, with the placement varying by OEM and across different markets.”