Windows AI Copilot: The Future of PC Accessibility?
Microsoft made a lot of noise during Build 2023 about its major announcement, the Windows Copilot. The concept is straightforward: integrate AI into the operating system. Now Windows will have an AI copilot, similar to how the Edge browser (and soon the entire stack of Office apps) do. However, in my conversation with Panos Panay, the head of Microsoft's Windows (and Surface) group, I wanted to delve into another potential application for generative AI as a tool for accessibility. Although it wasn't specifically stated this way, having a virtual assistant intelligently built into a computer's operating system certainly has some serious accessibility benefits. Panay was excited about the idea when I asked him about it. "I am so passionate about this topic. You realize that Copilot will work for you once it appears, regardless of your input mode. Microsoft has recently increased its offering in various ways, whether through Windows features like Live Captions or its mo...