Wanting to make 2024 “the year of the AI PC,” Microsoft is introducing a button to Windows keyboards for Copilot, the company’s artificial intelligence-powered assistant.

The introduction of the Copilot key, which will be placed next to the right-hand side alt button, marks the first big change to the Windows keyboard layout since 1994, when the Windows key was added.

The new key will effectively provide users with a more accessible way to launch Windows’ Copilot service, which can be used for a range of general- and work-related tasks like content generation, pulling information from the web, and adjusting PC settings.

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, stated that over the coming days — and in the lead up to next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — we’ll start to see more of the Copilot key on new Windows 11 PCs from the company’s ecosystem partners.

Additionally, the executive specified that availability of PCs with the integrated Copilot button will begin in late February through Spring, including on upcoming Surface devices.

While it certainly hasn’t been uncommon for Big Tech companies to integrate GenAI capabilities into their products and services over the last year following ChatGPT’s unveiling, the incorporation of the Copilot key is a physical — and visual — reminder of Microsoft’s commitment to artificial intelligence.

“Nearly 30 years ago, we introduced the Windows key to the PC keyboard that enabled people all over the world to interact with Windows,” Mehdi said. “We see this as another transformative moment in our journey with Windows where Copilot will be the entry point into the world of AI on the PC.”

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Judging by the executive’s remarks, it also seems that today’s announcement will be but the first this year concerning Microsoft’s holistic approach to embedding artificial intelligence into Windows products.

“In this new year, we will be ushering in a significant shift toward a more personal and intelligent computing future where AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system, to the silicon, to the hardware,” he revealed.

“This will not only simplify people’s computing experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC.”