Windows 10: The end of Windows 11's Recall AI feature? Microsoft postpones launch

When Copilot Plus PCs launch next week, it will be without the controversial Recall feature.

Recall was unveiled by Microsoft in May 2024 as the core feature of Copilot+ PCs. This new PC type comes equipped with a neural processing unit to process AI tasks on the device faster.

Microsoft, swimming on a wave of positive AI feedback and a stock price that gained nearly 100% since December 2023, was confident that Recall would give the new PC type a much needed boost.

In the higher-up offices at Microsoft, Recall must have sounded like a great idea. The feature captures the screen of the Windows device every five seconds to let AI process it. This allows users to search their entire activity using natural language.

The wave of criticism caught Microsoft by surprise. It can be broken down to the following points:

• Microsoft configured Recall to run automatically on Copilot+ PCs. Users had to opt-out of it manually.
• Recall's database was not protected while the system was up and running.
• The database would reveal a user's entire activity on the PC, including malware actors and law enforcement.

About two weeks later, Microsoft came forward to announce major changes to the Recall AI feature. The company announced that it would add an option to disable Recall during the initial setup, and add improved security around the feature.

Recall is being postponed


Microsoft published an update on its website. It has been added to the post about the upcoming security and usability changes of Recall.

In it, Microsoft says that Recall will not be available as a preview on Copilot+ PCs starting June 18, 2024. Instead, Microsoft has made the decision to preview Recall in the Windows Insider Program first.

It still plans to make Recall available for al Copilot+ PCs soon, according to the post.

The decision to postpone the launch of Recall on regular devices, Copilot+ PCs are not test devices for the most part, was made to "ensure the experience meets our high standards for quality and security", writes Microsoft in the post.

These standards were seemingly ignored during the initial Copilot+ PCs and Recall rush.

It is possible that Microsoft needs more time to implement the security and usability changes that it promised for June 18th.

Microsoft decided against testing Recall in the Windows Insider Program. One likely explanation is that the company wanted to come out with a bang when it announced the new Copilot+ PCs.

Recall: Dead on Arrival?


For Microsoft, Recall is the main feature that makes Copilot+ PCs worth buying. The company has not revealed lots of other exclusive features that make these PCs special.

The only other feature that comes to mind is Automatic Super Resolution, which aims to improve the quality of media.

There is also a question that no one has answered yet. Who is going to benefit from Recall? The feature is very broad, capturing nearly everything by default that happens on a PC.

I cannot see many home or business users making use of it on a regular basis. Yes, it has a novelty factor and there are likely individual use cases that get a productivity boost out of it.

I think that Microsoft should reconsider its approach with Recall. Instead of using it to broadly capture everything, it could make Recall a feature that captures only content that is picked by the user or system administrator.

Recall could be configured to capture content of specific apps or folders only, for instance Office programs. This would give users control over the feature.

What about you? Do you think that Microsoft will launch Recall later this year in the updated state?

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post The end of Windows 11's Recall AI feature? Microsoft postpones launch appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

read more...

 

How do I opt out of the new Recall AI feature

Hi there, I was wondering if I could get an explanation for how to opt out of the new recall ai feature due to the security and privacy issues that it will cause. will there be an opt out option in windows 11 in the settings. if not, what are the legal ramifications for this breach in personal privacy for the use of training an ai off of personal information. How does this new feature know whether or not you are posting important private information like passwords, social security numbers, bank statements, etc.

 

Windows Direction, CoPilot, AI and Recall

Dear Support, no response to this question is required. I simply want to provide Microsoft with some customer feedback.

Like many others you've been hearing from, I intensely dislike the direction MS is going with their new and "improved" features such as CoPilot, CoCreator (indeed, ANY AI features built in to the operating system, and Recall.

Let's take CoCreator first. This is, at first glance, a neat feature. Input a rough sketch, and the software produces detailed images. For someone who's not a talented artist, this is great. But...what if the intended use is for publication? AI images and AI-assisted "original" creations can't be copyrighted or sold for remuneration. The same applies to AI-generated text. Not to even mention that AI-generated text may be lucid, grammatical, and easy to read, while still, in most cases, being factually WRONG.

I don't want AI in my operating system. If I do want assistance from AI, I'll go to the AI's website, or install a specific app. An OS should be "user friendly", to be sure. But AI is far too apt to misinterpret what I want and go off in some totally unhelpful direction. I want my OS to do what I tell it: open an app, find a file, change a system setting, perform a housekeeping function. I don't want it second-guessing me. Windows has been getting worse at this, not better. For example, the OS often decides to store files in places it finds convenient, rather than places I find convenient. It displays files organized by date groups, when I want them displayed alphabetically. Adding AI to the mix will take it to a whole new level of frustration.

As for Recall, it's nice that MS is taking steps to make it easier to disable, such as having it turned off by default. However, this is nowhere near good enough. THE RECALL FEATURE SHOULD NOT BE IMPLEMENTED AT ALL. If you simply feel you must, it should be a separately-downloaded and installed plug in, it should NOT be an integral part of Windows. If it is simply disabled, no one will trust you not to change your policy and enable it in a future update. Or even have it turned on permanently. We don't trust you when you say "oh, it's local storage only". Even if you mean that, and never change your minds, it's a serious security vulnerability even if it is only stored locally.

We don't trust you not to peek. We don't trust our governments not to peek. We don't believe that no one else will figure out a way to peek. Heck, as I write this, that's already been done, and you haven't even released the damn thing yet. We don't want our PCs tracking everything we do, looking over our shoulders. If I want a backup of something, I'll make a backup. Me. Not my Big Brother of a PC. This is one reason why I am still running Windows 10 and have no intention of "upgrading" to Windows 11.

An OS should be a tool. Easy to use, transparent. It is not a partner, or a supervisor, or a parent. Unless Microsoft changes its current path of treating Windows users as products to be exploited, rather than customers, you will see your market share decline. Because there ARE alternatives.

As for me, I'm going to start learning Linux. Not easy at my age, but worth it to insure my privacy.

 

Microsoft signals end of Paint program

Microsoft has confirmed that it will continue to offer its graphics program Paint.

In a recent update, it had listed Paint as a feature that would be either removed or no longer developed.

Paint, renowned for its simplicity, has been part of the Windows operating system since its launch in 1985.

Microsoft suggested it would not remain on Windows 10 by default but did say it would be available for free on the Windows Store.

BBC news Report here
Microsoft Paint avoids brush with death