Copilot on the keyboard
Plus Samsung is about to show off Galaxy AI
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Microsoft continues its march to put AI everywhere by quite literally sticking Copilot on the keyboard. The tech giant has announced several of its manufacturing partners will soon add a Copilot key to their Windows laptops and PCs.
The Copilot key will supplant the menu key, situated on most keyboards alongside the right-hand Alt key.
Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi says the change represents âanother transformative moment in [the companyâs] journey with Windows,â noting âCopilot will be the entry point in the world of AI on the PC.â
Why it matters: Putting Copilot at peopleâs fingertips could go a long way to normalizing use of generative AI on the desktop - particularly for those who have yet to fully jump into the artificial intelligence space.
Samsung has teased its next flagship Galaxy smartphone event on January 17 - and it sure sounds like its new devices will feature some fancy AI.
The South Korean device-maker has published a YouTube video that hints at a custom, on-device artificial intelligence model dubbed Galaxy AI. And while thatâs about it for official details right now, SamMobile has been keeping an eye on unofficial leaks.
This yearâs lineup will reportedly comprise the Galaxy S4, the larger S24+, and the premium S24 Ultra. All three devices will include Galaxy AI, which is essentially a suite of AI tools that include in-call language translations, note summarizations, generative image-fill, and more.
Pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed, but January 17 isnât that far away, so stay tuned for more.
Why it matters: It looks like smartphone companies are seeing AI features as a selling point. That can only be a good thing for the do-it-all devices in our pockets.
Chip giant Intel has announced its generative AI operations are being spun off into a standalone unit.
Dubbed Articul8 AI **(as in âArticulate AIâ), the newly formed subsidiary is also backed by asset management firm **DigitalBridge Group and others. Intel is mum on whether it will maintain a majority stake in Articul8, but the announcement suggests it will be open to additional investment, though there are no plans to take the poorly-named company public.
Former Intel vice president Arun Subramaniyan will oversee Articul8 as its CEO.
Why it matters: By establishing Articul8 as a separate entity, Intel is allowing itself room to raise investment for AI projects without diluting shares of its cash-cow chip unit.
Jeff Bezos has thrown his support behind AI search startup, Perplexity.
Perplexity, which offers an AI-powered chatbot-search hybrid (aka an âanswer engineâ in the companyâs parlance), has raised $74 million from the Amazon founder and others. The startup is now valued at $520 million.
San Francisco-based Perplexity was founded less than two years ago, has fewer than 40 employees, and operates out of a coworking space.
Why it matters: While Bezos is putting his money into Perplexity itâs worth noting that Amazon - where he still serves as board chairman - has bet heavily on Anthropic, the company behind the Claude chatbot.
Microsoft is putting Copilot under your fingertips, while Samsung has bold Galaxy AI plans.
