Microsoft’s “one button” AI is a good start - but what about a dedicated AI keyboard?

Microsoft has said that it will be adding an AI button - sporting the firm’s Copilot AI assistant logo - to PC keyboards. But what does it actually do and would you/should you press it?

In November last year, Microsoft announced that its Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise products had been renamed as Copilot, while its Bing.com browser would remain a combined search plus chat tool. Having a single button for Copilot would indicate an ease-of-use (and potential accessibility) feature to take advantage of generative AI (GenAI) functionality that Microsoft wants its users to take advantage of.

This move is reminiscent of the early days of the World Wide Web (WWW), when hardware firms started adding “Internet” buttons to keyboards. Hewlett-Packard’s multimedia/internet PS/2 keyboard had a “WWW” key that launched your preferred internet browser. Microsoft’s own “Internet Keyboard” - launched in 1999 - offered dedicated buttons for opening your browser, web searching, basic navigation features and calling up your “Favourites”, as well as launching your email application.

This functionality was clearly designed to get the average user online quickly and easily, simplifying a multi-step process in order to take advantage of the new technology on offer. Having a couple of buttons to press is also less intimidating than navigating multiple, potentially unfamiliar applications.

Fast-forward to 2024 and the availability of GenAI technology in consumer-facing productivity tools. It’s great to see that Microsoft is adding a dedicated button, but is this enough? If the firm wants to see significant uptake of GenAI tools via its Copilot assistant, perhaps it should consider an “AI Keyboard”: having multiple dedicated keys to bring functionality closer to the surface in the same way its “Internet Keyboard” did? Or is the new Copilot so intuitive that its on-screen interface doesn’t require further prompting?

While the Copilot sidebar provides a relatively unintrusive use of screen space, the majority of its functionality is contained at a deeper level. This is to be expected, given the depth of features available. So, why not have dedicated keyboard buttons for “Write”, “Compare”, “Analyze” and “Chat” (aka “ask me anything”) – the top-level suggested functions. Perhaps a “Generate Image” button or one for “Plug-ins” that takes you to a list of 3rd party additions that Microsoft says will be forthcoming?

Ok – it’s not 1999, and it’s clear that improvements in user interface design as well as people’s familiarity with apps generally means the average person is much more able and willing to interact with software. Arguably, a single button access to Copilot is all that is required because the rest of the functionality is easy to get to. However, physical button shortcuts require less clicks and take the user closer to the desired features more quickly. A dedicated AI keyboard might just be the key to mass adoption of GenAI….

Maybe I’m just an old fogey, but I would buy one!