Microsoft’s latest AI tool is giving your computer a ‘photographic memory’ – but experts are worried it could come at a cost to your privacy.
The new tool, called ‘Recall’, automatically takes screenshots of your laptop every few seconds, which you can browse later.
Microsoft says the screenshots are stored locally on your computer and cannot be accessed by the tech giant’s staff or any remote hacker.
However, experts have shared concerns that it could be easier for people to get personal information from your device if it falls into the wrong hands.
Dr Kris Shrishak, an AI and privacy consultant, called the tool a ‘potential privacy nightmare’.
“The simple fact that screenshots will be taken while using the device can have a chilling effect on people,” he told the BBC.
James Bore, technology expert at consultancy Bores Group, said the photo tool “could capture information that could not otherwise be stored”, such as passwords, credit card details or login details.
If the laptop falls into the wrong hands, a perpetrator can ‘gain access to the user’s session and obtain the information’.
“The main thing for me would be to make sure that switching on and off is very easy and ideally to automate that switching off as much as possible,” Bore told MailOnline.
However, Bore believes Microsoft when the firm says that no one else can see the screenshots, as “the consequences of lying about something like this massively outweigh any potential benefits.”
MailOnline has contacted Microsoft for comment.
The recall is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft’s new line of Windows laptops powered by its Copilot AI assistant, unveiled earlier this month.
According to Microsoft, Recall aims to ‘solve one of the most frustrating problems we face every day’ – retrieving web pages on a computer.
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With the tool, users can locate content they’ve viewed on their device using search, or in a timeline that lets them scroll back through screenshots.
“With Recall, you can virtually access what you’ve seen or done on your computer in a way that feels like you have a photographic memory,” says the tech giant.
It adds that Recall can be turned on and off at any time, but the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it is contacting Microsoft for more information on Recall’s security measures.
An ICO spokesperson said: “We are making inquiries with Microsoft to understand the safeguards in place to protect user privacy.
“We expect organizations to be transparent with users about how their data is used and to process personal data only to the extent necessary to achieve a specific purpose.
“Industry must consider data protection from the outset and rigorously assess and mitigate risks to people’s rights and freedoms before bringing products to market.”
Microsoft unveiled Copilot last fall after heralding ‘the entry into a new era of AI’ that is changing the way we ‘take advantage of technology’.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Microsoft would be adding a dedicated AI button to its computers – and many users weren’t happy about it.
The new line of Windows laptops features this AI button on the keyboard for quick access to the Copilot chatbot.
