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Windows 11: controversial Recall AI-feature is making a comeback in latest build

When Microsoft announced the AI-feature Recall last year, it rode on a wave of positive AI news and coverage. Copilot was taking off and integration of AI features in Windows and other products had started already.

What Microsoft did not expect was the feedback that it received when it announced Recall. To better understand why, it is necessary to look at the initial functionality of the feature.

Recall was designed as a tool for users to better interact and go back to activities of the past. Recall would take snapshots of the screen regularly, use metadata and AI to analyse the activity, and allow users to interact with AI regarding it.

You could ask Recall to list all websites about a certain topic that you opened in the past, ask it about the whereabouts of a specific document that you forgot the name of but can describe, or summarize last week's activity on the PC.

Criticism: Recall was criticized heavily. Key points included that Recall was opt-out, which meant that it would run automatically on user systems, that the information that it collected was not secured properly, that its database would become a high-value target for malicious actors, and that Microsoft did not run public tests.

Microsoft postponed the launch as a consequence, stating that it would go back to the drawing board to address the concern.

The company published information about the revised Recall feature in late September 2024. This new version would be opt-in and the data that the AI collects would be protected better.

Recall is making a comeback

Microsoft released a new Release Preview build for Windows 11 yesterday. This build, 26100.3902, rolls out Recall gradually. It is labeled as a preview version and only available for Copilot+ PCs.

Here is how Microsoft describes the feature: "With the AI capabilities of Copilot+ PCs, it’s now possible to quickly find and get back to any app, website, image, or document just by describing its content."

Microsoft says that users need to opt-in to start using Recall and also enroll in Windows Hello. Doing so will start the creation of snapshots of the system's screen.

Users are always in control, according to Microsoft. They can pause or delete saved snapshots at any time.

Windows Hello authentication kicks in whenever Recall is launched on the system to use it to find previous content. Found content can be re-opened or combined with the Click to Do-feature. This allows users to "take immediate action" on what is shown on the screen.

Closing Words

Recall is only available for Copilot+ PCs. Good news is that it is opt-in, which means that you do not have to worry about it too much anymore, if you do not plan on using it.  Is it the key-feature that Microsoft aimed for to push AI to the next level? Probably not. While it may have its used in work environments and other specialized environments, it seems unlikely that the majority of regular Windows users will find it overly useful.

Now You: do you plan to use Recall on your Windows PCs or a similar feature, such as Google's Chat Recall feature, on other devices? Feel free to leave a comment down below to join the discussion.

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