Microsoft’s Key Role in the AI Industrial Revolution

Last week Microsoft, a key holding in our global portfolios, announced it would be adding a button to its Windows keyboard to activate its AI Copilot service, the first significant change to its keyboard since it added the Windows/Start key the year The Lion King hit the big screens.

The addition of the AI Copilot key, slated for release this month, marks a pivotal moment in the integration of artificial intelligence with everyday technology. By pressing this key, users can access a range of services and functionalities, effectively having an artificial intelligence assistant at their fingertips. It underscores Microsoft’s commitment to making artificial intelligence more accessible and user-friendly to the masses.

The key will have significant ramifications for a new generalised upgrading en-masse of IT hardware/software systems in the corporate space, as well as for domestic use, not yet fully appreciated.

So, has Microsoft just fired the starting gun in the race on how we all work with and utilise AI technology? 2024 is already being dubbed “the year of the AI PC” and Microsoft has hit the beaches first. The company has invested heavily in retooling its biggest products around AI tech that can generate new content from its massive datasets. That list now includes Windows, Office, Bing search, security software and customer and finance products. The work heavily leverages the GPT-4 technology from OpenAI, in which Microsoft has invested $13 billion.

As some commentators believe, this “AI industrial revolution” will reshape societies, economies, and the future of work, driving a paradigm shift in how society approaches technology and its impact on our daily lives.