This stupid mistake in Logitech’s AI-powered mouse is driving me mad

I’m trying to love Logitech’s Signature AI Edition M750 Wireless Mouse. I really am! But I’m continually tripping over this small detail, and it literally is making me more frustrated than I should be.

It’s an intriguing, polarizing concept: By placing an “AI” button on the top of the mouse, Logitech gives users one-click access to ChatGPT to do one thing: simplify the writing and rewriting of text via an AI app called Logi Prompt Builder. It’s a tiny bit like Windows running on top of DOS.

It’s a novel idea, and one you might expect Microsoft to develop, given the Copilot key that’s already appearing on laptop keyboards. Instead, Logitech is leading the way. What’s important to note is that Logi AI Prompt Builder is basically supported by every mouse and keyboard Logitech makes, so the M750 is just the showcase for this new technology. You can probably use it, too!

The problem is that Logitech’s Prompt Builder doesn’t support one of the most basic functions of a mouse, and it’s very annoying. And did I mention that Microsoft already does it somewhat better, already?

The mouse itself

Let’s talk briefly about the mouse itself. The Logitech M750 clearly is based on other Logitech “Signature” hardware like the M650.

The M750 is a quasi-ambidextrous mouse, with a neutral grip but thumb buttons that can only be used by right-handers. The mouse is small, about 4.25 inches long and 2.5 inches wide, and best suited to those users who like to control a mouse with their fingertips, rather than resting your entire hand’s weight upon it. It can be used either via Bluetooth or the small dongle stored within the mouse itself. Logitech’s Smart Switch technology allows it to be paired with up to three PCs, and the mouse supports the cool PC-to-PC Logitech Flow technology that debuted in 2018. It uses a single AA battery.

The M750 includes two primary buttons, of course, with a scroll wheel that can double as a third button. Out of the box, one of the two thumb buttons is set up to launch Windows’ voice typing, while the other launches a dedicated ChatGPT window. (That window differs from Prompt Builder, in that it accesses ChatGPT directly.)

I typically use a dedicated lefty gaming mouse, but M750’s gliding action is smooth, and the click travel is short and efficient.

Although Logitech typically offers multiple color options on its mice, the M750 is a monochromatic gray, with a bright green button in the center. Clicking that launches AI Prompt Builder.

Logi Prompt Builder in Action

The Logi Prompt Builder is essentially a component of the Logi Options+ app, which Logitech uses to control the functions of its various peripherals. Logitech seems to like downloading Options+ whether I ask for it or not, and it appeared on my PC as if by magic. Logitech says that Options+ users will have to set up Prompt Builder, and I was asked to do so, as well, through a quick introduction to what each function does.

Think of Prompt Builder as a GUI of sorts on top of ChatGPT. (You’ll use ChatGPT 3.5 by default, but if you have a subscription to ChatGPT Plus, sold separately, you can log in to use that too.) It’s a small window that hovers over your other applications.

Prompt Builder does four basic things; you can Rephrase a block of text, Summarize a block of text (or a webpage), Reply (as if writing an email), and Create Email. Each function has two options attached to it, which can vary; you’ll usually have a “Length” option as well as “Style” or “Tone.” Each of the drop-down menus offers pre-selected options.

What Prompt Builder is doing is providing an easy-to-use interface on top of ChatGPT. Your preferences are transformed into a text prompt when you hit submit.

Say I want to rephrase this block of text, for example:

If you’re a Mac user who has stumbled across this article, welcome. But please be aware that early Apple MacBook Pros powered by Intel silicon supported up to two 4K displays. The first MacBook Pros powered by the Apple M1 chip only support a single 4K display. Many Mac users have recently left negative reviews on Thunderbolt docks on shopping sites because of this. Buy a PC!

My Prompt Builder selections add the following instructions for ChatGPT:

Rephrase the following text: If you’re a Mac user who has stumbled across this article, welcome. But please be aware that early Apple MacBook Pros powered by Intel silicon supported up to two 4K displays. The first MacBook Pros powered by the Apple M1 chip only support a single 4K display. Many Mac users have recently left negative reviews on Thunderbolt docks on shopping sites because of this. Buy a PC! Present it in a short and concise way. Could you rework it to convey a more playful tone?

Logitech calls all these functions “Recipes,” and allows you to make your own, too. You’re essentially prompting ChatGPT to do something for you, so you have a “Prompt” option, an “Input” text field, and two predefined parameters. It’s not a bad idea, and if you want your prose rewritten in the style of Abraham Lincoln or translated into French in the style of Baudelaire, all you need to do is prompt it.

Where Prompt Builder stumbles

Logitech is already making some interesting choices in the service of making AI-rewritten text better. But there’s one thing Prompt Builder doesn’t do that drives me insane: paste. Yes, paste. If I select a block of text and right-click it to copy, tap the AI button, and then try to right-click to launch paste…nothing happens. The right-click menu just doesn’t seem to work within Prompt Builder. Yes, I can CTRL+V my text into the box, but what’s the good in that?

What you may or may not know, though, is that Microsoft Copilot already offers something similar, and arguably better. It’s a little obnoxious, actually. If you’re typing in a text field within Edge (as I’m am, writing this article) you can highlight a block of text and Copilot will volunteer to rewrite it for you. (You can also use Alt+I, instead.) Copilot will then automatically replace the text, if you wish.

With Prompt Builder, there’s no right-click option to select a block of text and take action from the right-click menu. You have to copy the text, paste it in with the keyboard, make any adjustments, launch ChatGPT via Prompt Builder, and then copy the text and paste it back into Word or your text editor. At least you can use Edge, Word, or Windows to right-click-paste the edited text back in.

What a peripheral maker like Logitech should excel in, though, is ergonomics. If Logitech is going to make software such an intrinsic part of our workflow, it needs to nail this particular aspect. It hasn’t, not totally. To steal the metaphor: Logitech Prompt Builder and the M750 still feels somewhat like a rough draft.