Subj : Microsoft says all AI laptops will have a dedicated Copilot butto To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Wed Mar 27 2024 17:00:06 Microsoft says all AI laptops will have a dedicated Copilot button - but I dont want that Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:51:50 +0000 Description: Intel and Microsoft disagree on what the perfect AI PC looks like - and Im siding with Intel on this one. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Get ready, suckers, because the AI PC train is building up to full speed, engines burning - all aboard! Yes, Intel and Microsoft have revealed a new set of requirements for so-called AI PCs, those AI-powered laptops and desktops that Microsoft in particular has been pushing as of late, with its Copilot AI assistant rolling out to more Windows users whether they like it or not. These requirements are fairly straightforward, outlining the three most basic tenets 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 dedicated Copilot button The first two make perfect sense to me. A Windows AI laptop that doesnt have Copilot would just be a regular laptop, and the current prevalence of Neural Processing Units (NPUs) for AI workloads makes those a near-mandatory inclusion for running local AI processes too. Its that third point that irritates me, though. (Image credit: Intel) Im not the only one: while Intel has largely acquiesced to Microsofts list of demands, there are already laptops out there that meet the first two requirements, lacking only the dedicated Copilot button. Under Microsofts rules, these laptops - like the rather excellent new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro - dont technically meet the bar. But Intel reckons they should still be eligible for the AI PC label. From an Intel perspective, our AI PC has Core Ultra and it has an integrated NPU, said Intels PC ecosystem head Todd Lewellen, going on to say that Intel has great alignment with Microsoft, but there are going to be some systems out there that may not have the physical key on it but it does have our integrated NPU. Opinion: Forcing hardware design shifts like this is a bad look Ill be honest: Im not very happy about this. I look at my laptop keyboard (the compact 13-inch HP Spectre x360 ) and my first thought is Where the hell are they going to fit a Copilot key? Besides, I dont personally use - or even want to use - Copilot. This isnt me poo-pooing the merits of Microsofts AI assistant; Im sure some people love using it, and it definitely offers some useful features. But I simply dont want any space on my physical laptop dedicated to a feature I wont use. Summoning Copilot in Windows 11 only takes a single mouse click - so why do we need a dedicated hardware key for it? (Image credit: Microsoft) Microsofts rules dont specify anything about the Copilot button itself, such as whether it needs to be a certain size or if it can be implemented separately from the main keyboard layout (such as being on the side of the laptop, or perhaps taking over one of the Function keys along the top row). Some of Microsofts OEM partners might find interesting solutions to the physical button requirement, but I fear most will just cram it haphazardly on the bottom row by shrinking the Ctrl and Alt keys. You cant stop progress Either way, it looks like this is happening, and were all just going to have to accept it. You could say Just dont buy an AI laptop, but thats going to quickly become unavoidable: according to market research by the International Data Corporation , AI PCs will account for nearly 60% of all computer sales by 2027, a meteoric market takeover. Since Im primarily a Windows user, Microsofts firm push for AI-compliant hardware isnt something Ill be able to outrun. The Google Pixelbook Go featured a dedicated Assistant key way back in 2019, long before the generative AI boom. (Image credit: Future) Microsoft isnt alone in mandating changes like this, either. While Google hasnt officially stated that Chromebooks will need a dedicated button for Google Gemini , it looks like theres already at least one Chromebook with an AI key in the works - and of course, Googles own Pixelbook Go featured a Google Assistant button on the keyboard. As for macOS devices, it looks like the M4 chip will be arriving next year with Apples own NPU , so perhaps the next wave of MacBooks will feature their own AI key? So my protests will likely fall on deaf ears. I suppose its far from the worst thing to happen; I just dont see the point. Windows 11 already features a Copilot button in the bottom-right of the taskbar by default, and on a touchscreen device (like my own laptop) thats just as easy to use as a physical Copilot key would be. Still, I dont really approve of anything that OS makers try to force on laptop manufacturers: its a practice that stymies innovation and experimentation, and I worry that Microsofts AI PC rules will become a slippery slope leading to further demands of OEMs. You might also like... Sam Altman hints at the future of AI and GPT-5 - and big things are coming Heres more proof Apple is going big with AI this year OpenAI just gave artists access to Sora and proved the AI video tool is weirder and more powerful than we thought ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/microsoft-says-all -ai-laptops-will-have-a-dedicated-copilot-button-but-i-dont-want-that --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .