Microsoft’s Recall hits preview on Qualcomm, Intel and AMD AI and Copilot+ PCs

Microsoft has recently expanded the testing of its innovative Recall AI feature to Intel- and AMD-powered AI and Copilot Plus PCs. Initially available on Qualcomm-powered devices only, this feature is now accessible to a broader range of devices for testing.


What is Recall?

Recall was the keynote Windows feature announced when Microsoft unleashed the Copilot+ PC  when they were released in September this year.

Initially recalled due to privacy concerns this is now in Public Preview for Windows Insiders on the Dev Channel.

Recall works by taking screenshots of almost everything you do on your  Copilot+ PC, (these are devices with dedicated NPUs that run at 45 Trillion Operations per Second (TOPS) or more). Recall makes it easy to search and recall past activities such as “the train route I was looking at on Tuesday” rather then scanning back through Internet search history.

Recall on Copilot+ PCs

This feature is entirely optional to use, but when enabled enabled, helps users find previous work, content or Internet data through natural language search or an interactive scrollable timeline.

As the user, you are completely in control of what snapshots are saved and how long for, and have the ability to delete them as needed, ensuring upmost privacy and security. Snaps shots require TPM, secure boot and Windows Hello to be active on the device and Microsoft has not access to the data which is encrypted on your device.

The power of Edge AI

Unlike services like Copilot, Recall and many of the newer Copilot+ PC features leverage local LLM models on the device as well as the NPU’s present on Copilot+ PC devices like the Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11 range. As such when you install the #WindowsInsider Dev builds, you’ll also notice that Windows Updates installs a number of processing services as well as the Phi Silica LLM.

Recalls’ enhanced security and privacy

Microsoft has implemented many new security updates and controls to address initial concerns raised by security folk and early testers.

As I mentioned, accessing snapshots now requires Windows Hello for authentication, and the feature mandates the use of BitLocker and Secure Boot. Additionally, Recall can now automatically detects and excludes sensitive information like credit card details and passwords from being saved.

Click-to-Do and more AI features

Alongside Recall, Microsoft is also allowing Insiders on Copilot+ PCs to test out Click to Do feature, which recognise text and images in snapshots and content in screen allowing users to perform actions like copying text, invoking Copilot, saving and editing images and more. This functionality extends beyond Recall, enabling users to take actions on images and text with a simple Windows + Q key or Windows Key + mouse click.

In Paint, the new Cocreator top lets you create art and images by simply typing in text prompts. The Photos app has also been updated with new tools including Image Creator, which lets users make images from text prompts, and Restyle Image, which lets users add different artistic styles to their existing photos. You also get powerful generative erase tools which can be accessed directly from the app or from Click-To-Do.

These tools use local AI and analysis models on the Copilot+ PCs to work efficiently on the device itself through the use of the NPU.

Conclusion

Microsoft initially only made these features available for Snapdragon (ARM based) Copilot+ PCs but with this update they are continuing to u lease the new AI features in Windows 11 to more devices. The expansion of Recall to Intel and AMD Copilot+ PCs marks a step forward in enhancing user experience and productivity on this next generarion of devices.


What do you think of Recall and Click-to-Do?

Recall “Recalled” Again: Microsoft’s Copilot+PC Flagship Feature Faces Further Delays

Recall Recalled again feature image

In a move that has surprised few, Microsoft has once again delayed the rollout of its controversial Recall feature for Copilot AI PCs. Initially planned for a June release to coincide with the new Copilot+PCs launch, Recall was then postponed to October while Microsoft addressed initial concerns around privacy and security.

This week however, Microsoft has yet again delayed this again with testing for Windows Insiders coming (so we are told) in December, which unfortunately falls after Ignite.

Microsoft Recall….

Security Concerns and Refinements

Recall’s primary value is to create a timeline of screenshots that users can scroll through and search. However, early testing revealed by security researchers discovered that the core database storing these screenshots and tagging was not encrypted, posing a massive security risk.

Microsoft have since addressed this by fully encrypting the database and requiring Windows Hello authentication for access.

Microsoft have also confirmed that Recall will now be an opt-in feature, allowing users to completely uninstall it if they choose.

Microsoft’s Cautious Approach

Brandon LeBlanc, senior product manager of Windows, enforced Microsoft’s commitment to delivering a secure and trusted experience with Recall.

Microsoft need to get this right in order to maintain trust with its customer base. He stated that the additional time is necessary to refine the feature before previewing it with Windows Insiders. Despite these assurances, social media shows huge skepticism about whether Microsoft will meet the new December deadline and even if they might scrap the feature all together. This will be a shame, as the value around it looks. Promising and is really ( currently) the one killer reason consumers were looking at when looking at investing in Copilot+ PCs outside of the huge battery life that these Qualcomm Snapdragon Powered devices deliver.

The verge covered this in an exclusive interview

Wider AI privacy concerns

The repeated delays and security issues surrounding Recall highlight broader concerns within the AI industry.

There is a growing perception that companies are rushing to release new features without fully considering the potential consequences.

Microsoft’s cautious approach with Recall is a step in the right direction, but it also underscores the need for more rigorous testing and security measures in AI development.

Will Recall still be exclusive to Copilot+ PCs?

That’s a good question.

When Microsoft announced the Copilot+PC back in June, Recall was the flagship feature and it was unique to the device’s (and kinda stole the show).

Since then AMD and Intel have released their new AI PC chipsets offering similar NPU performance to the Snapdragon chips in Copilot+ PCs like Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7.

We now have NPU turbocharged PCs with Snapdragon® X Series, AMD Ryzen™ AI 300 Series and Intel® Core™ Ultra 200V Series devices after all.

We don’t know if this will remain an exclusive (I don’t see why it would) and if all the “exclusive AI features” that are part of Windows 11 24H2 will soon be lit up in any decide with a dedicated NPU.

From what I can… It will be supported… But some features are limited to Snapdragon, so we will have to wait and see….

Coming soon then… Or will it?

While the future of Recall still remains uncertain, Microsoft’s efforts to address security concerns and refine the feature are commendable, I just hope they haven’t missed the boat. We’ve already seen Apple quietly move forward with Apple Intelligence (clever) and it’s now embedded in MacOS. Microsoft need to move quick and innovate here to regain confidence and innovative is their mission to empower every person on the planet to achieve more (with their technology)!

Consumers, IT professionals, industry experts and social media will be keenly observing whether the Recall gets the release and value reputation it received back in June, with  a secure and functional version of Recall to define what AI can really do in Windows.

I hope succeeds and brings life to the new AI PCs and Copilot+PCs or of it quietly gets canceled as skeptics seem to think…

Windows Recall: Enhanced Security& Privacy ahead of October Launch

As Windows 11 24H2 gets ready to release, Microsoft has announced major security and privacy upgrades to its (yet to be released) Windows Recall feature which was the flagship new AI powered feature announced on the back of the Copilot Plus PC announcements back in May.

Recall, which was initially met with scepticism and concerns around security and privacy, has now be significantly updated with stronger and more granular protections for privacy, encryption and identity access to make it ready for its “delayed” release next month.

What is Recall?

Recall takes screenshots of active windows on your PC every few seconds, analyses them on-device using a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) and an AI model, and adds the information to an SQLite database. You can later search for this data using natural language to prompt Windows Recall to retrieve relevant screenshots.

I covered Recall in more detail in an earlier blog

Responding to Customer Feedback


Microsoft’s decision to enhance Windows Recall comes after considerable feedback from customers and privacy advocates. The company initially delayed the public release of Recall, opting to make it available for preview with Windows Insiders. This cautious approach allowed Microsoft to refine the feature based on real-world usage and analysis of how it was used whilst they review ways to address the concerns and enhance security and privacy controls.

Putting Users in control of Recall

One of the most significant changes is that Windows Recall is now strictly opt-in. Users must proactively activate the feature, ensuring that no screenshots are taken or saved without explicit consent. This addresses a major concern about privacy and data security. Additionally, users can remove Recall entirely through the optional features settings in Windows, providing total control over its usage.

Advanced Security and Privacy Measures

Windows Recall now includes several advanced security measures designed to protect sensitive information after feedback, development and testing since it was announced in May this year.

Firstly – Recall is an optional feature and can also be removed entirely from the Windows Installation. If a user doesn’t proactively choose to turn it on, recall is off by default, meaning snapshots will not be taken or saved.

If Recall is enabled, all snapshots and associated data are encrypted, with encryption keys protected by the device’s Trusted Platform Module (TPM). This module is tied to the user’s Windows Hello login information and biometric identity, ensuring that no data leaves the computer without the user’s explicit request. Recall snapshots are also only accessible after users authenticate using Windows Hello credentials. This enhanced sign-in security ensures privacy and actively authenticates users before allowing access to their data

Recall also comes with a sensitive information filter designed to protect confidential data, like passwords, credit card numbers, and personal identification details, by automatically applying filters over this content. This uses AI and pattern matching to look for such information adding another level of privacy protection.

Additionally, Recall includes malware protection features like rate-limiting and anti-hammering measures, which prevent unauthorized access attempts.

Recall: Four Principles of Operation

Microsoft has redesigned Recall to function on four core principles:

  1. User control
  2. Encryption of sensitive data
  3. Isolation of services, and
  4. Intentional use.

Recall is always opt-in. Snapshots are not saved unless you choose to use Recall, and everything is stored locally……Recall does not share snapshots or data with Microsoft or third parties, nor between different Windows users on the same device. Windows will ask for permission before saving any snapshots.

David Weston – VP Enterprise and OS Security, Microsoft.

These principles will ensure that users can keep complete control over their data, with the ability to remove snapshots, pause them, or turn them off at any time. Any future choice to share data will need fully informed and explicit action by the user.

    Image (c) Microsoft.

    Conclusion

    In short, the enhanced Windows Recall feature represents a significant step forward in balancing functionality with security and privacy which show Microsoft are licensing to their users and take privacy and security seriously. By addressing key concerns and implementing robust protections, I believe Microsoft has demonstrated its commitment to user trust and data security. As Recall rolls out to Insiders with Copilot+ PCs in October, it will be interesting to see how these enhancements are received and what further innovations Microsoft will bring to the table. What do you think? Will you be trying this out or uninstalling it?

    When will Windows Recall be released?

    Microsoft announced last month that Recall will start rolling out to Insiders with Copilot+ PCs in October as part of the 24H2 release of Windows 11.

    “Windows Recall” feature postponed days ahead of launch

    Windows Recall is (was) a new AI powered feature, exclusive for Copilot+PCs that can capture snapshots of your screen every few seconds allowing the user to essentially rewind back to a point in time to back track on work, application state and documents being worked on,

    Recall overview (Microsoft)

    Announced as the headline feature for the new generation of Copilot+PCs, this new flagship Windows Recall will now arrive at a later date, with a wider public  preview coming soon for Windows Insiders.

    There has been many questions, concerns and clarity demanded from the public and tech pros about this new feature since it was announced in May, with concerns over whether Microsoft had “gone too far” in finding a use for AI and the new NPU powered Copilot+PCs. The fact this has not been through the usual process of testing my Microsoft’s loyal Windows Insider testing community was also surprising for such a huge new feature.

    The first of the new Copilot+PCs are launching next week (June 18th), and in an expected update have said that their headlining “Windows Recall” feature will not be shipped at launch and  now arrive a few weeks later in an update.

    Is Windows Recall too much?

    Recall was heavily criticised after sourced said that recall stored it’s Recall  data in an unencrypted state, raising huge concerns among IT experts, users and anti-Windows fans!

    Last week, Microsoft released a blog and announcement to try to alleviate these concerns by reassuring people that Windows Recall would encrypt data and require the user to be physically present at the device (via multi factor authentication) to access recall. They were clear however, that not only was Recall safe but they it would ship next week with the arrival of the Copilot+PCs.

    The Cisilion Fireside Chat suspected so much.

    Just this week, I hosted a fireside chat, and we discussed the view of Recall from a security and privacy violation.

    There’s a link to the episode here if you’d like to hear the views of a number of IT leaders…but the view of my customer panel ahead of (the now postponed) launch include:

    We’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to protect our data and here we are Tada you can now just have a look at what Kim was sharing three minutes ago.” [link]

    “It undermines years and years and years of work and unless they can work out a way there’s no way I’m letting this anywhere near my en.” [00:08:25][Link]

    “You are the attack surface… we have to remind the the owners of the business that ultimately it’s their heads on the Block if things go wrong.” [00:45:32]

    In short, our panel, beleived that Recall might face significant challenges before its implementation, possibly leading to its postponement or modification, especially in enterprise environments. They highlight the need for clear communication, education, and possibly policy changes to address the concerns raised – looks like this is exactly what happened.

    Microsoft committed to trust and privacy but is it enough?

    Just earlier this week, Microsoft had said that all images are encrypted, stored and analyzed locally, using on-device AI capabilities to understand their context. When logged into your Copilot+ PC, you can easily retrace your steps visually using Recall to find things from apps, websites, images, and documents that you’ve seen, operating like your own virtual and completely private “photographic memory.” You are always in control of what’s saved. You can disable saving snapshots, pause temporarily, filter applications and delete your snapshots at any time.

    The question still on people minds is is this enough, how does this work if viewing content other people are sharing on screen when Recall is being used and what happens if a device is compromised or user subject to ransomware or phishing attack and get access to this device…

    Postponed not cancelled?

    Perhaps to ensure the backlash over recall doesn’t impact Copilot+PC sales, these new devices will not ship with Recall initially. Microsoft have said that Windows Recall will be added in a future Windows update, but has not given a timeframe for when this will be. This will give their huge Windows Insider Community time to test this with Microsoft and provide the much needed feedback, tuning controls and more.

    The updated Microsoft blog post states the following:

    Recall will now shift from a preview experience broadly available for Copilot+ PCs on June 18, 2024, to a preview available first in the Windows Insider Program (WIP) in the coming weeks. Following receiving feedback on Recall from our Windows Insider Community, as we typically do, we plan to make Recall (preview) available for all Copilot+ PCs coming soon

    Copilot+PCs still get loads of new AI Goodness.

    Of course, Recall wasn’t the only AI infused feature that Copilot+PCs will include, and the other rest of the AI features that Microsoft showcased will still be available to use. These include live captions and translations across all apps, new Windows Studio Effects for meetings and video, new. Image creation and generation tools across the stock Windows Apps including paint and photos.

    Time will tell

    Time and testing wil tell whether this feature gets simply delayed, hugely altered or scrapped all together. What do you think?


    Microsoft June 13 2024 Blog Post: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2024/06/07/update-on-the-recall-preview-feature-for-copilot-pcs/

    Balancing Act: Microsoft’s “Recall” Feature

    The day before Microsoft Build 2024, Microsoft unveiled the future of Windows and the PC with what they dubbed “Copilot+ PC”. The build conference (as expected) has unveiled a plethora of innovations aimed at developers and of course AI has at heart of everything.

    One of the key pieces of innovation announced at Build and at the Copilot+PC launch was the new AI-powered ‘Recall’ feature which will be coming soon to Windows 11 and will be enabled on devices with the new Copilot+PC powered by the new SnapDragon Elite processors.

    This new AI powered feature promises to revolutionise how we interact with our digital histories, but it also raises important questions about privacy.

    What is Microsoft Recall?

    Recall is designed to transform searchability and predictive search within Windows 11 by recording / snapshotting user activities on their device. It captures snapshots of your screen every five seconds, allowing you to search and retrieve past activities, including app usage, communications in live meetings, and websites visited – giving you (and it) the ability to rewind time to any point (subject to configuration) to help you find what you need or pick up from where you left off. Your snapshots are then locally stored and locally analysed on your PC.

    Microsoft Recall – Image (c) Microsoft

    Recall’s analysis allows you to search for content, including both images and text, using natural language. Nothing is shared with other users or used to train their AI models. Privacy, Microsoft say is key!

    The Promise of Recall

    The benefits of Recall are immense. Imagine being able to revisit any moment of your digital life (work or personal), retrieve information from a past meeting, or recall a website or document you reviewed yesterday, last week or last month. This could significantly boost productivity and ensure no detail is ever lost in the digital ether. To “recall” this information, you simple “describe how you remember” using natural language, and Recall will retrieve the moment you saw it. In Microsoft’s blog post around this, they use this example:

    Trying to remember the name of the Korean restaurant your friend Alice mentioned? Just ask Recall and it retrieves both text and visual matches for your search, automatically sorted by how closely the results match your search. Recall can even take you back to the exact location of the item you saw.”

    Do we need Recall – what is wrong with search and history?

    Recall does sound awesome and very clever – but are Microsoft is creating a solution for a problem that isn’t really there?

    Microsoft said in the announcement “We set out to solve one of the most frustrating problems we encounter daily – finding something we know we have seen before on our PC. Today, we must remember what file folder it was stored in, what website it was on, or scroll through hundreds of emails trying to find it.”

    Personally, I think search works pretty well on Windows 11 anyway and Edge has a great history, favourites and collections feature to help me find stuff I was browsing (they even work across devices). So why do we need recall?

    Well…Recall will definately build on this make it much mich easier to find things and “go back in time”, essentially giving Windows 11 a “photographic memory,” as Microsoft explains it. The reason I think this will be a really awesome feature is less because I can never find something, but is more about the experience I want and am starting to expect from AI.

    A webpage, image or document we are looking at doesnt paint the whole picture and with search these things are isolated. Recall brings this all together. Maybe I was researching a trip or a topic – with recall it can colate the whole story, bringing together context, images, notes, documents, searches, websites together.

    Privacy Concerns

    Recall’s powerful capability to record and store every action poses significant privacy concerns and social media has been rife with this (no such thing as bad press right). The thought of someone else accessing this data is unsettling, yet Microsoft assures us that the data remains fully encrypted, local, and linked to that user’s profile. It is not shared with anyone, accessible by anyone or used to train their Large Language Models or dor advertising purposes.

    Of course, despite this, the potential for misuse cannot be ignored, especially if sensitive information like passwords or financial details appear on-screen so people I guess are rightfully concerned and since this is not actually “available” yet many of the concerns, assurances etc., are not yet “proven” either way.

    Microsoft has a FAQ section that explains how Recall works. This is something everyone panicking about Recall should read.

    Microsoft’s Safeguards

    The integration of Recall into Windows 11 by Microsoft is designed to keep user data secure and private. Personally and knowing how Microsoft always put the user in control of what is and is not enabled in Windows 11, I am personally not concerned, but understand why some might be initially.

    Secondly, Recall works on-device and not across the cloud. This means, no data leaves the PC to Microsoft’s servers. Microsoft will not improve its large language models using this particularly sensitive data. Microsoft say that they will also not use the data for targeting advrtisments. Recall data isn’t available to other applications.

    To mitigate these concerns, Microsoft has implemented several safeguards:

    • Recall will not capture InPrivate browsing or DRM-protected content.
    • Users can pause, stop, or delete captured content at any time
    • Users can exclude specific apps or websites from being recorded
    • Users can disable recall and not use it at all.

    I also wanted to share directly from Microsoft’s post around this – their approach around privavcy and responsible AI

    Microsoft has been working to advance AI responsibly since 2017, when we first defined our AI principles and later operationalized our approach through our Responsible AI Standard. Privacy and security are principles as we develop and deploy AI systems. We work to help our customers use our AI products responsibly, sharing our learnings, and building trust-based partnerships. For more about our responsible AI efforts, the principles that guide us, and the tooling and capabilities we’ve created to assure that we develop AI technology responsibly, see Responsible AI.

    Recall uses optical character recognition (OCR), local to the PC, to analyse snapshots and facilitate search. For more information about OCR, see Transparency note and use cases for OCR. For more information about privacy and security, see Privacy and security for Recall & screenray“.

    The Future of Recall

    As we move forward, the Recall feature will likely evolve, based on feedback from the Window Insider Community and MVPs. Microsoft will need to continually balance AI innovation with user trust, ensuring that privacy is not sacrificed for convenience and that users are given choice with regards features that record and track usage and interactions. The conversation around Recall is just beginning, and it will be fascinating to see how it shapes the future of digital interaction and privacy.

    In conclusion, Microsoft’s Recall stands at the crossroads of technological advancement and privacy. It’s a powerful tool that promises huge benefits but also requires careful consideration and management of privacy concerns. As with any new technology, it will be up to both Microsoft and its users to navigate these waters responsibly.


    Would love to hear your views on this? What do you think, excited for this new feature (on the new Copilot+PC hardware) or will you be turning it off or jumping OS!! 🙂 

    For more detailed information on the feature and its capabilities, please refer to the official announcements and resources provided by Microsoft.