PCs with the AI acceleration features, Copilot+, that Microsoft announced weeks ago will go on sale next week, but they won’t include Recall, one of the new Windows features the company introduced at the same time as the new PCs. Microsoft decided to postpone the availability of the Recall service in order to test it through the Windows Insider program.
In an article published on the company’s blog, Microsoft says: “We are working to improve the recall delivery model to obtain feedback from the Windows Insider community and thus provide a user experience that meets the highest standards of quality and security. When the recall preview is available through the Windows Insider Program, we’ll publish a new article teaching you how to get the preview.
This means that Recall will not initially be available to participants in the Windows Insider Program, or to anyone who purchases a Copilot+ PC.
The recall function was announced at the same event as the Copilot+ computers. Since then, many computer security experts have warned that this functionality, as it currently stands, could be a “disaster” in the context of cybersecurity. Last week, Microsoft made three updates to Recall: one that makes it optional and untethered by default in the operating system, encrypts the database used and authenticates the user through Windows Hello.
Recall uses AI models running natively on Windows 11 to take regular screenshots in almost every app you use. This allows the computer to search and find all kinds of information based on the user’s command. This function also includes a cursor used to review all screenshots to allow you to “step back in time” within your computer (similar to the timeline found in Windows 10). All data collected by Recall is kept locally on your computer, so none of the data is used to train Microsoft AI.
The decision to postpone the distribution of Recall comes after Microsoft President Brad Smith testified before the Homeland Security Committee in the US Congress. During his testimony, Brad Smith said Microsoft puts security above all else through the company’s Secure Future Initiative (SFI). “SFI is more important than the work the company is doing in artificial intelligence,” Smith said.
