For the first time in three decades, Microsoft has introduced a new dedicated key to Windows PC keyboards. But rather than something novel, the “Copilot key” harkens back to an era of chunky, overengineered keyboards from tech’s primordial ooze.

The shortcut to AI

In January, Microsoft unveiled the Copilot key as a way to quickly summon its Copilot generative AI assistant on new Windows laptops. Pressing the button is essentially the same as pressing the keystroke combination Shift+Windows+F23.

That last key in the sequence is an oddity in the modern keyboard world. The F23 key hasn’t graced mainstream keyboards for the better part of 40 years. It’s a remnant of the age of big iron when terminals and minicomputers ruled the earth.

Resurrecting the F23

To find the origins of the oft-forgotten F23 key, you have to go back to the 1980s and IBM’s legendary Model F and Model M keyboards. These were massive devices with 122 keys, including two rows of function keys from F1 to F24 (though most computers at the time only used up to F12).

The expansive layouts served the big iron terminals the keyboards connected to, giving users a vast array of dedicated keys for inputting obscure commands and initiating operations. The bygone era’s insistence on physical keys for every conceivable function created a land of Brobdingnagian keyboards that would horrify today’s minimalist keyboard fans.

While long abandoned by mainstream computer makers, die-hard fans have kept the dream of the Function key bonanza alive. Enthusiast vendors like Unicomp still manufactures buckling-spring Model M revivals complete with dual-function rows running to F24. Elsewhere, people repurpose seldom-used high-function keys on modern keyboards as macros or shortcuts.

Hiding in plain sight

So why did Microsoft decide to bring back the moldy old F23 as a way to conjure its new AI assistant? Tom’s Hardware theorizes that piggybacking onto the forgotten key’s obscure status was simply the path of least resistance.

Most users were unlikely to have any functions assigned to the F23 key. So Microsoft could remap it to a new purpose without overriding significant user customizations. It’s a less elegant solution than creating an entirely new hardware key, to be sure. But it’s also a quick and dirty way to add AI smarts without a total keyboard redesign.

The idea of dedicating premium keyboard real estate to an AI companion may seem odd today. But big tech companies clearly foresee a future where users will want white-glove access to generative AI capabilities across their devices. Establishing default shortcuts and hardware keys for AI access could help shape new user behaviors and work patterns.

To button or not to button

Of course, not everyone is thrilled about having Copilot privileged on their keyboards. While Microsoft aims to make its inclusion a requirement for future Windows 11 PCs, many question the merits of giving the fledgling technology such a coveted keyboard spot.

Generative AI is still in its infancy, and Microsoft’s offerings face plenty of viable competitors. What if Copilot doesn’t pan out? What if other use cases or entirely different technologies emerge as the “must-have” application? A misplaced hardware bet could leave keyboards looking very dated in just a few years.

For their part, some major PC makers insist the Copilot key remains reprogrammable for those inclined to reassign it. Still, the move shows Microsoft’s aggressive push to make its generative AI a seamless, ubiquitous part of the Windows experience—whether users want it or not.