Microsoft’s new ‘Black Mirror’ recall feature records everything you do

Software giant Microsoft is rolling out a new feature for select Windows 11 PCs called “Recall” which uses AI to keep a detailed log of user activity — and yes, that includes everything on your screen.

The new AI-powered feature will be available on Microsoft’s new line of “Copilot+ PCs” according to a company blog post on May 20, written by Microsoft Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer Yusuf Mehdi.

Medhi described the feature as giving one’s computer “photographic memory.” The feature uses AI to take periodic screenshots of user interactions, recording what they are doing on their computers at the time.

Mehdi explained that finding something we know we have seen before on our PC is one of the most frustrating problems we encounter daily.

“Copilot+ PCs organize information like we do – based on relationships and associations unique to each of our individual experiences," explained Medhi, adding

This helps you remember things you may have forgotten so you can find what you’re looking for quickly and intuitively by simply using the cues you remember.”

In demo video, Microsoft explained that Recall allows users to scroll across a visual timeline to find content from any application, website, or document they have previously viewed.

It also uses snapshots for object recognition to get suggested actions based on recognized objects in past content. Users can control privacy by deleting individual snapshots, adjusting time ranges, pausing the recording, or filtering out certain apps or websites from being indexed.

The function resembles fictional technology from the British science fiction anthology television series Black Mirror.

In the third and final episode of the first series, “The Entire History of You,” characters were able to rewind their memories at will and project them onto a screen.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk also noted the similarities in a post on his social media platform X on May 21.

“This is a Black Mirror episode. Definitely turning this “feature” off.”

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Meanwhile, concerns have been raised around Recall’s generative AI, with some users fearing their personal data might be utilized without consent to train the company’s AI models, according to global digital content publishing network 80 Level.

On May 17, Cointelegraph reported that Microsoft could be fined up to 1% of its annual revenue in the European Union if it doesn’t respond to a request for information concerning its search engine Bing and associated generative AI services.

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