Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images
Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10, virtually forcing users to upgrade or pay more money to continue getting essential security updates for the operating system they already own. Never mind that its replacement, Windows 11, won’t run on nearly half a billion machines, meaning it will create mountains of e-waste as those perfectly usable old PCs are thrown out in favor of new ones.
If possible, things get even worse. This week, Microsoft is launching a suite of artificial intelligence features that essentially turns existing Windows 11 systems into full-fledged “AI PCs” controlled by Copilot, the company’s AI assistant. This isn’t being uncharitable on our part: that’s literally how one Microsoft executive described the update.
“We believe we are on the cusp of the next evolution, where AI doesn’t just happen in this chatbot but integrates naturally into the hundreds of millions of experiences people use every day,” said Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and director of consumer marketing at Microsoft. The edge during a briefing. “The vision we have is: let’s rewrite the entire operating system around AI and essentially build what will truly become the AI PC.”
If this sounds like a nightmare to you, you’ll realize that it’s no coincidence that AI updates are rolling out when they are. Microsoft is forcing Windows 10 users to walk the plank so they can fall into an inescapable AI pit – where, once trapped, they are presumably expected to give up and let the technology dominate their user experience.
The most obvious change is that Copilot will now be right in the middle of the Windows taskbar, which is arguably the most valuable piece of real estate on a user’s screen. This is a conceptual embodiment of how Microsoft wants to put AI at the heart of the user experience.
This transformative change depends on users’ willingness to talk to their computers – like, yes, speaking words out loud. Copilot features will be activated by saying the phrase “Hey, Copilot!” “, acting as a sort of “third input mechanism to use with your PC,” Mehdi said. (Historically, adding another input mechanism hasn’t done wonders for the company.)
The logic behind voice commands seems pretty questionable, but it’s supposedly backed up by data showing that users spend billions of minutes talking in Microsoft team meetings, according to Mehdi — so they’re already used to talking on the computer, right?
And thanks to another feature, Copilot Vision, the AI will be able to see everything that’s happening on your screen so it can give recommendations and advice based on context. This is supposed to be associated with Copilot actions, which allow the AI assistant to perform tasks on your local computer, like edit folders or search for items.
“The PC should be able to act on your behalf,” Mehdi said.
Needless to say, this requires ceding an alarming level of access to AI – with your permission, of course. And the facts suggest it will be a tough sell. Microsoft’s AI-powered reminder feature, which constantly took screenshots of your desktop, received tons of backlash due to its obvious security flaws, like recording your Social Security number and storing those recordings in a completely unencrypted folder.
For now, Copilot features will technically be opt-in, but it’s more than possible that this will change in the future. Remember when Microsoft tried to force everyone to use its latest attempt at a virtual assistant, Cortana, when Windows 10 was released? This also featured voice commands and many privacy concerns. This time it will be different, of course.
Learn more about Microsoft: If you funded OpenAI, the percentage of ChatGPT users willing to pay for it might give you a cold sweat
