Builds On The AI Key 

Microsoft says that the new features build upon the introduction of the Copilot AI key on new Windows 11 PC keyboards, updates to the Copilot icon on the taskbar, and the ability to dock, undock and resize the Copilot pane.

Adding an AI key to Microsoft Windows 11 PC keyboards, from which Copilot could be directly launched, was the first significant change to Microsoft keyboards in 30 years and represents another way for Microsoft’s own AI to be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system.

New Popular App Plugins

The plugins from “favourite apps” that are being added to Copilot now include OpenTable, Shopify, Klarna, and Kayak. Microsoft gives examples of how this will help users, such as:

• Asking Copilot to make a dinner reservation with friends and Copilot using OpenTable to do so.
• For staying in, asking Copilot to create a “healthy dinner party menu for eight” and Copilot using the Instacart app plugin to buy the food “all within Copilot in Windows”.

New Skills Too 

Microsoft has announced a list of skills that it will be adding to Copilot, beginning in late March, in the categories of settings, accessibility and live information. Examples include turn on/off battery saver, open storage page, launch live captions, launch voice input, show available Wi-Fi network, and empty recycle bin. Essentially, asking Copilot to do things instead of the user having to themselves is a convenient time saver that Microsoft hopes will improve user experience and productivity.

New Creativity App Updates 

The rollout of two “creativity app updates” has also been announced by Microsoft. These are:

• Generative Erase for removing unwanted objects or imperfections in images when using the Photos app.
• Clipchamp silence removal preview, which provides an easy way to remove silent gaps in audio tracks for videos.

Other Announcements 

Microsoft has also taken the opportunity to announce other new features and upgrades including the ability to use an Android phone as a webcam on all video conferencing apps, a combined Windows Update for Business deployment service and Autopatch update for enterprise customers, and Windows Ink to enable natural writing on pen capable PCs.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

With Google recently announcing its new Gemini models being combined with Bard to create a new Gemini Advanced subscription service that ties the Google suite together with AI, Microsoft, helped by its OpenAI partnership, has come back with its own AI upgrade. Competition is hotting up and with the integration of Copilot in its popular 365 apps, a significant keyboard change in the addition of the AI key, and now the addition of new plugins and skills, Microsoft is working to create a single seamless environment, managed by AI.

This will mean users can get everything they want within this environment just by asking, thereby offering ultimate ease and convenience with productivity benefits that will appeal to businesses. It seems that using the same idea as WeChat style super apps, where users can do everything from one app, major tech players with their own product platforms are now using AI and plugins to achieve a similar thing, gain share and retain customers. It’s also a way to add value and raise existing barriers to exit by giving users an easy way to achieve everything within one familiar environment.

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Copilot Key 

In a move that Microsoft says will make “2024 the year of the AI PC” and to mark a “shift toward a more personal and intelligent computing future where AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system”, the new AI key will be added to allow the launch of Copilot directly from the keyboard.

Copilot is Microsoft’s AI powered “companion” that’s been embedded into 365’s popular apps to provide intelligent suggestions and automation. This includes areas like Office Suite, where it can help in creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations by suggesting content, layouts, data insights and help with coding. It’s designed to enhance productivity and creativity, and to streamline tasks across different Microsoft software.

First Change To Keyboard In Three Decades 

In a blog post announcing the change, Microsoft says “the Copilot key marks the first 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.” 

When? 

Microsoft says that over the coming days leading up to and at the Computer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas on 9th to 12th January 2024, users will notice the Copilot key being added to many of the new Windows 11 PCs from its own partners, with availability beginning later in January through spring, including on upcoming Surface devices.

Competition

Microsoft has invested heavily in and worked in partnership with OpenAI, ChatGPT’s creators, and this small but significant keyboard change shows how competition in the relatively new generative AI field is hotting up. With Google’s Bard and Duet AI (its equivalent of Copilot) plus Gemini and AI Studio, Microsoft’s move to compete and make it easier to access Copilot is behind this latest keyboard change. Some commentators compared it to when Apple added a Siri button or option to its touch bar on MacBooks to support voice usage.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The introduction of the first change to Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades reflects Microsoft’s investment in AI and the fact they’re competing with rivals such as Google. Clearly, they’ll want to gain share in the generative AI market, and support and boost user numbers for Copilot. It’s also a way for Microsoft to bind users to its many products and ensure that the company remains a front runner in what Microsoft sees as a world where AI is here to stay and grow in importance.

The company’s need to be leading the field may in no small way be the reason why its relationship has become so close to OpenAI, with the recent high profile boardroom turmoil, that the relationship has become the subject of antitrust investigations. Expect more significant changes as the fast evolving and highly competitive generative AI market grows.

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