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Logitech has built an AI sidekick tool that it hopes will help you work smarter, not harder, with ChatGPT
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In a move that shows how mainstream artificial intelligence (AI) is these days, Logitech has launched its free Logi AI Prompt Builder software tool that isn’t yet another AI chatbot, but instead designed to help Logitech users get the most out of an existing chatbot, ChatGPT. 

Logitech is also working on the hardware side of making AI-specific peripherals, launching a wireless mouse that’s equipped with an AI prompt button: the Logitech Signature AI Edition Mouse.

Who can access the Logi AI Prompt App and where

The Logi AI Prompt Builder can be accessed via the existing Logi Options+ app. This is freely available to anyone using a Logitech keyboard or mouse that’s supported by the English version of the Logi Options+ app, which includes Logitech MX, Ergo, Signature, and Studio Series devices.

Logitech has set up a site detailing the new AI tool, and you can click ‘Download Now’ to get the Logi Options+ app. Once you download and install this, you can designate a keyboard shortcut that you’d like to use to quickly open up the Logi AI Prompt Builder. Then, users can open it through the Logi Options + app or by using their keyboard shortcut, enabling them to receive recommendations about the text they've selected to converse with ChatGPT about.

A close up shot of Logitech's new AI-specific mouse, set on a table and the various parts labelled

(Image credit: Logitech)

Logi AI Prompt Builder will then offer you suggestions for commonly-used ChatGPT prompts, such as ‘Rephrase’ and ‘Summarise.’ You can also customize your queries within the tool, and ask it to make suggestions that take into account the sort of tone, style, complexity, and length of answer that you’d like. The latter of these is also offered by other generative AI tools like Microsoft’s own digital AI assistant, Windows Copilot. According to Logitech, this app will make for a smoother and less disruptive workflow, especially for those who make use of AI tools, thanks to you having to make fewer clicks and being able to work faster. You can check out how the tool works for yourself before downloading and installing it by watching a demo that Logitech has put on the Logi AI Prompt Builder site. 

I could see this having use beyond helping people work with ChatGPT, as other generative AI chatbots like Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet might also offer better responses thanks to Logitech’s suggestions. 

Logi AI Prompt Builder is now live and accessible for free for any user with a suitable Logitech device, and is available for both Windows and Mac users via the Logi Options+ app. The dedicated Logitech Signature AI Edition Mouse is currently available exclusively on the Logitech.com website for $ 49.99 in the US and £54.99 in the UK.

A man sitting at a table with a computer and the AI tool on his screen, in a room filled with modern decor

(Image credit: Logitech)

A vote of confidence for generative AI

This launch has piqued my interest greatly because it’s a pretty substantial move from a company that mostly specializes in PC peripherals, which suggests that it’s not just computer manufacturers that are making products that embrace our AI future. It’s also pretty indicative to me of companies like Logitech being convinced of generative AI’s staying power.

It’s one step closer to AI being a normal part of our work and everyday lives, and reminds me of Microsoft’s plans to add a Copilot button in the keyboards of new laptop models. I’m keen to try a tool like this for myself and see if my workflow becomes smoother, because if that’s the case, Logitech, Microsoft, and others could be on to something.

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Copilot is everywhere in Windows 11 and it’s about to get harder to ignore – but is Microsoft in danger of wearing out the AI assistant’s welcome?
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Windows 11 is going to see a lot more of Copilot in the future – that’s pretty obviously the line Microsoft is taking with its desktop-based assistant – and there’s fresh evidence of the AI creeping into more corners of the OS.

Firstly, we have a sighting of a new wallpaper, which came yesterday, when a couple of inbound laptops with the promising Snapdragon X Elite CPU were leaked. Both of those Lenovo notebooks had a Copilot-themed wallpaper on the desktop, so it’s a safe assumption that Microsoft has an official new background for the AI in the pipeline.

As Windows Latest observes, this is actually a traditional ‘bloom’ wallpaper, except Microsoft has redone the image in the Copilot colors (mirroring the Copilot button in the taskbar).

The tech site also points out other ways in which Copilot is creeping into Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge. For example, in the Edge browser, as highlighted by leaker Leopeva64, there’s now a bar of options pertaining to the AI when you open the Settings panel.

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This bar contains suggestions for how you might use Copilot, allowing you to get advice on security settings for example, or managing your passwords in the browser. These suggestions change depending on what section of Edge’s settings you’re in, by the way, making them more relevant to what you might be looking to do.

Note that this idea is just in testing right now, and in the Canary channel to boot (the earliest test avenue).

Another ability brought in for Copilot in Edge (again, in the Canary channel) is an expanded Ask Copilot context menu. This means that when you select a section of text in a web page, there are new options for directly interacting with Copilot in this menu.

As Windows Latest explains, these choices are: Explain, Summarize, Expand, and Ask anything in Chat.

The last option acts like the current incarnation of Ask Copilot – it just fires up the AI’s panel with a query on the selected text.

With the new options, however, Explain prompts Copilot to do just that – offer an explanation of the text – and Summarize provides a summary, as you’d expect. In a similar vein, Expand goes the other way, furnishing you with extra facts or information about the selected text.

Again with Edge, Leopeva64 also spotted that AI is going to be integrated into the browser’s ‘Magnify Image’ option, with a button spotted that offers to ‘AI Enhance’ the image after it’s been blown up. This is in very early testing, though, and the button doesn’t yet do anything at all.

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Another recent addition Windows Latest flagged up is ‘Circle to Copilot’ in Edge in Windows 11 (and iOS), allowing you to literally draw a circle around something to activate a Copilot query about the highlighted item.

All this comes on top of a recent move in the Beta channel of Windows 11 previews, trying out a new way of highlighting that Copilot can help with something – by animating the taskbar button for the AI when this is the case. New options have also been added to the menu that appears when you hover over the Copilot button, too, expanding that further.

Analysis: Making Copilot a more visible presence

All of this is still to come, we should note – these are changes in testing for Windows 11 or its Edge browser, and in the case of the wallpaper, a glimpse of what’s very likely to come.

Indeed, that Copilot background will likely be the default wallpaper for AI PCs starting with Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptops that launch in June. (Not forgetting Microsoft’s own Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, the consumer spins on which will land then, and may have a custom version of the Elite SoC inside).

Overall, though, it’s clear that Microsoft is pushing forward with expanding Copilot’s capabilities, and sussing out ways in which the AI can be made more visible on the desktop. Whether that’s about an animation for the taskbar button (effectively declaring “It’s-a-me, Copilot, I can help with that”), or a fancy desktop wallpaper that could be a permanent reminder of the AI, if you fall for the color scheme (which does look quite funky, to be fair).

We’d be surprised if most of these tested changes didn’t come to fruition, frankly, and as noted, there’s a theme of Microsoft increasingly pushing Copilot which comes as no surprise.

The big rumored addition on the horizon is, of course, AI Explorer – but that feature (supposedly debuting in the Windows 11 24H2 update) may have an unexpected twist in its initial incarnation that’s a bit of a shocker. (Spoiler alert: If you don’t have an ARM CPU like the aforementioned Snapdragon, then you can forget it – Intel and AMD-powered PCs might be left out in the cold).

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This Gmail update just made it harder than ever to avoid video calls
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Avoiding video conferencing meetings could soon be trickier than ever now that Google has made it much simpler to join a video or audio call via Gmail.

The company has announced that users can now start or join meetings and audio calls from 1:1 chats in Google Chat in Gmail on Android and iOS.

“As some teams begin to return to office, while others remain distributed, we hope this makes it easier to connect with your colleagues in the hybrid work world,” Google wrote in a blog post announcing the new addition. “This feature will allow you to seamlessly switch between chat to a video or audio call when needed, helping you collaborate and move your work forward.”

Google Chat calls

Going forward, Gmail users will now see a phone and video icon in the top right corner of a 1:1 Google chat window that, when clicked, will start a direct call with the contact.

In order to join a call, you just need to select the phone or video chip within the 1:1 chat window, and while on a call, you’ll see a banner of the person you’re on a call with, the call duration and a Meet icon in the chat roster.

Missed calls will be indicated with a red phone or video icon within the conversation and the chat roster.

Google Workspace video call

(Image credit: Google)

The feature is hosted as part of Gmail, so if you select to join a call from the Google chat app, you'll be redirected to the Gmail app. If you don't have the Gmail app installed on your device, you’ll be prompted to download it via Google Play store or the App Store

The feature, which will be rolled out to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers by default, is currently only available for 1:1 meetings so far. This means there's no group calls for the moment, but given the ongoing popularity of video calls, this can't be too far away.

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Microsoft Teams update will make your life harder, but for good reason
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Microsoft is set to roll out an update for collaboration platform Teams that will add a layer of friction to using third-party app integrations, but for good reason.

According to a new entry in the company’s product roadmap, Microsoft Teams users will soon have to manage permissions manually for each third-party app they want to use via the web client.

“In order to better secure Microsoft Teams third-party applications that request native device permissions – such as camera, microphone or location access – we will be requiring users to manually opt-in for these permissions per app in the Microsoft Teams web browser experience,” wrote Microsoft.

This is already the case across the Microsoft Teams desktop and mobile clients, the roadmap entry goes on to explain.

The new web client permissions system is still under development, but should take effect for all users by February next year.

Microsoft Teams apps

Since the start of the pandemic, collaboration software vendors like Microsoft, Zoom and Slack have worked hard to expand upon in-built functionality (video conferencing, VoIP, messaging, file-sharing etc.) with third-party integrations.

In Microsoft’s case, the company is aiming to turn Teams into a central hub for work, by building as wide a range of functionality into the platform as possible, from cloud storage and CRM to project management, calendering and more.

Only last week, Microsoft revealed it is developing a new-look app store that should make it easier to identify the most useful third-party integrations on a per user basis.

As the number of Teams applications grows, however, the likelihood one might be abused for cybercriminal purposes rises too. To nip any potential issues in the bud, Microsoft will soon require users to manually specify app permissions across all Teams clients (desktop, mobile and now browser).

Of course, the measure won’t stop users from giving malicious apps access to their webcam and audio feed, but at the very least it will force people to think twice about which apps they engage with.

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