Microsoft says all AI laptops will have a dedicated Copilot button, but I don’t want that
Get ready, suckers, because the AI PC train is building up to full speed, the engines are burning – all aboard!
Yes, Intel and Microsoft have unveiled a new set of requirements for so-called “AI PCs,” those AI-powered laptops and desktops that Microsoft in particular has been pushing lately, with its Copilot AI Assistant is rolling out to more Windows users whether they like it or not.
These requirements are fairly simple and describe the three basic principles of what an AI PC should be:
- Capable of running Microsoft Copilot
- Equipped with a dedicated NPU (and a modern CPU and GPU)
- Features a special Copilot button
The first two seem completely logical to me. A Windows ‘AI laptop’ that doesn’t have Copilot would just be a regular laptop, and its current prevalence Neural Processing Units (NPUs) for AI workloads, this also makes it an almost mandatory inclusion for running local AI processes. However, it’s that third point that irritates me.
I’m not alone: While Intel has largely agreed to Microsoft’s list of requirements, there are already laptops that meet the first two requirements and only lack the dedicated Copilot button. By Microsoft’s rules, these laptops are quite excellent new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro – Technically does not meet the bar. But Intel believes they should still qualify for the ‘AI PC’ label.
“From an Intel perspective, our AI PC has Core Ultra and an integrated NPU,” said Todd Lewellen, head of Intel’s PC ecosystem, going on to say that Intel “has a good partnership with Microsoft, but there will be some systems fall out. it may not have the physical key on it, but it does have our integrated NPU.
Opinion: Forcing hardware design shifts in this way is a bad thing
I’ll be honest: I’m not too happy about this. I look at the keyboard of my laptop (the compact 13-inch HP Specter x360) and my first thought is, “Where the hell are they going to fit a Copilot key?”
Furthermore, I personally don’t use or even want to use Copilot. This isn’t me poo-pooing the merits of Microsoft’s AI assistant; I’m sure some people enjoy using it, and it certainly offers some useful features. But I simply don’t want space on my physical laptop for a function I’m not going to use.
Microsoft’s rules don’t specify anything about the Copilot button itself, such as whether it must be a certain size or whether it can be implemented separately from the main keyboard layout (such as on the side of the laptop, or perhaps take over one of the function keys in the top queue). Some of Microsoft’s OEM partners may find interesting solutions to the physical button requirement, but I fear most will haphazardly cram it onto the bottom row by shrinking the Ctrl and Alt keys.
You can’t stop progress
Anyway, it looks like this is happening, and we’ll all just have to accept it. You could say ‘just don’t buy an AI laptop’, but that is quickly becoming unavoidable: according to market research from the International Data SocietyBy 2027, AI PCs will account for nearly 60% of all computer sales, rapidly taking over the market. Being primarily a Windows user, I can’t avoid Microsoft’s strong push for AI-enabled hardware.
Microsoft is also not the only one mandating these types of changes. Although Google hasn’t officially stated that Chromebooks need a dedicated button Google Geminiit resembles at least one Chromebook with an “AI key” is already in the works – and of course Google’s Pixelbook Go had a Google Assistant button on the keyboard. As far as macOS devices go, it seems the M4 chip will come next year with Apple’s own NPUso maybe the next wave of MacBooks will have their own AI key?
So my protests will probably fall on deaf ears. I suppose this is far from the worst that could happen; I just don’t see the point. Windows 11 already has a Copilot button in the lower right corner of the taskbar, and on a touchscreen device (like my own laptop) it’s as easy to use as a physical Copilot key. Still, I don’t condone anything OS makers are trying to force on laptop makers: it’s a practice that stifles innovation and experimentation, and I worry that Microsoft’s AI PC rules will become a slippery slope that leads to further demands from OEMs will suffer.