Microsoft pulls back wide release of criticized Windows AI tool

Microsoft, facing scrutiny over the security of its products, is withdrawing a new artificial intelligence feature of its Windows software for new personal computers from broad release and instead will test it with a smaller group.

Recall, a Windows feature unveiled in May, creates a record of everything people do on their PCs — an approach that’s intended to make it easier to handle tasks such as sorting through emails or searching files. Microsoft planned to release Recall broadly on June 18, but said it will now be available in the coming weeks only in the Windows Insider Program.

“We are adjusting the release model for Recall to leverage the expertise of the Windows Insider community to ensure the experience meets our high standards for quality and security,” the company said Thursday in a blog post on its website. “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.”

Security researchers criticized Recall almost immediately after its introduction, saying that bad actors could access and scoop up records that are gathered by the tool and stored locally on a user’s PC. Microsoft reacted by saying Recall would be shipped in the “off” position, meaning PC owners would have to choose to use the feature. Additional security measures would be needed before Recall could be activated, the company said.