Microsoft formally announced something that we all expected last week: all AI PCs must have a dedicated Copilot key. It's the latest example of Microsoft giving us its artificial intelligence assistant, Copilot, whether we wanted it or not. There is a level of natural apprehension to a move like this, because Microsoft is effectively trying to force its paying customers to go all-in on Copilot. You're a lot more likely to interact with a Windows 11 feature if you have it front-and-center on your keyboard. Moreover, having a Copilot key built into your keyboard means you have one less key for something else.
Most people, regardless of if they love or hate Copilot, have their opinions about the Copilot key based on the concept rather than actually using it. That's inevitable, since most people upgrade their laptops less frequently than, say, the best phones. As a result, it could be years before you upgrade to a new laptop with a Copilot key. Curious about what it's like? I used the Copilot key on two Lenovo laptops for about a week each, and here's what I learned.
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3 There's no downside to the Copilot key
Be honest, did you ever use the key it replaces on Windows laptops?
Before using the Copilot key on a laptop, I suspected that the addition would be a non-factor. If you didn't want to use Copilot, you could simply ignore the key, and that would be the end of the ordeal. After using both the Lenovo LOQ 15 and the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 with their dedicated Copilot keys, my suspicions were confirmed. I didn't accidentally press the Copilot key that often while typing, and while it did happen a few times, pressing the button again hides Copilot. Overall, it was very subtle and didn't affect the way I use a Windows laptop at all.
More importantly, you don't lose much on the keyboard with the addition of the Copilot key. It's going to be the button beside the alt key on the right-hand side of the keyboard. Depending on the product and the OEM, the key it replaces can vary. Generally, the Copilot key appears instead of the menu key, but it can also replace a second function or control button. In most cases, you won't miss the key that Copilot replaces. ThinkPad owners may hate the Copilot key the most, because it'll shift the print screen button on some models.
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2 Copilot isn't ready yet
Having a dedicated button for a feature still in preview is weird
I didn't even need to use Copilot for the first time in order to discover that the feature wasn't ready yet. Of course, Microsoft wants to look toward the future by starting to add the Copilot key to laptops now. By the time Copilot is ubiquitous, there will be plenty of laptops in the wild with a dedicated key for it — or at least, that is what Microsoft is counting on. That puts early adopters, or anyone who happens to buy a new laptop with a Copilot key, in a weird spot.
Considering how hard Microsoft is pushing Copilot, you might be surprised to learn that the feature is still technically in preview. Not all Microsoft accounts, Windows PCs, and regions have access to Copilot as of now. That's why, upon unboxing a Lenovo laptop with a Copilot key, you'll find a piece of paper that says Copilot may or may not work on your device. Even though it has a dedicated key for it.
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This is bad for a lot of reasons, because users might understandably expect the dedicated button on their laptop to do what it is supposed to. When Copilot is unavailable, Lenovo says that the Copilot key will fall back to launching Windows Search. This means that your button won't be completely useless, but it's still not ideal. The best thing Microsoft can do for Copilot is make it widely available outside of preview, because if a user's first encounter with Copilot is the button on their laptop not working, it'll be a negative first impression.
1 The future of Copilot is tech support
Don't know where to find a setting on your PC? No need to fret, ask Copilot
To make Copilot a success, Microsoft needs to lean into the ways that the AI assistant is differentiated from competitors. Based on my initial conversations with Copilot, it's clear that the chatbot won't replace Google Search. Copilot's responses are high-quality, accurate, and include proper sourcing. However, they can take as long as a minute or more to generate, and I found myself wishing I had just used Google Search instead. Having a dedicated Copilot key should have made it quicker, but opening a Chrome tab, entering a query, and loading a response was still faster than waiting for Copilot to respond.
I'm not confident that Copilot can replace Google Search, but I do think it can replace basic tech support. As a tech writer, I am frequently asked for tech support by friends and family. One of the more common questions is something along these lines: "I know this feature or setting exists, I'm just not sure how to turn it on, turn it off, or make changes." That's where Copilot can help. If you ask Copilot to help you manage your PC, it can find the setting or toggle you want to adjust and bring it up in the chat. After that, you only have to click yes or no to make changes. Copilot might make frantically calling phone support or searching through support documents a thing of the past.
4 reasons Copilot is actually useful now
I wasn't impressed at first, but Copilot is beginning to grow on me.
When will Copilot be ready for primetime?
Microsoft is clearly committed to Copilot, and the dedicated button on laptop keyboards is just one example of that. It has also heavily invested in OpenAI, and uses the company's AI models to power many of its AI-based features, like Copilot. So, it seems like a matter of when, not if, Copilot matures. When that will exactly be is anyone's guess, but Microsoft is hosting an event in May, and we expect Copilot and AI to be a focus.