Microsoft Weighs Retreat From Windows 11 AI Push, Reviews Copilot Integrations and Recall
10 111Microsoft is reevaluating its AI strategy on Windows 11 and plans to scale back or remove Copilot integrations across built-in apps after months of sustained user backlash, according to a Windows Central report citing people familiar with the company's plans.
Copilot features in apps like Notepad and Paint are under review and could be pulled entirely or stripped of their Copilot branding in favor of a more streamlined experience. The company has paused work on adding new Copilot buttons to any other in-box apps. Windows Recall, the screenshot-based search feature delayed by an entire year in 2024 over security and privacy concerns, is separately under review -- Microsoft internally considers the current implementation a failure and is exploring ways to rework or rename the feature rather than scrap it entirely, the report said.
10 comments
It's utter shite (Score: 5, Insightful)
by Puls4r ( 724907 ) on Monday February 02, 2026 @03:06PM (#65964822)
Every office app now has constant popups with copilot offering to 'improve' things, and the suggestions are all bad. And on top of that, Microsoft has disabled the option to remove the Copilot integration - which used to be as simple as a click of a checkbox. They suck, continue to suck, and will always continue to suck. They've totally lost the plot of making useful software, and are just enshittifying every bit of their IP.
Weigh this M$ (Score: 5, Informative)
by Revek ( 133289 ) on Monday February 02, 2026 @03:08PM (#65964828)
I spend plenty of time making sure Microslop bloat doesn't spy on my users. I have to do this since they constantly reinstall their bloat on user accounts when they log in. I'm to the point I'm disabling it in the registry on every machine when people log in. I have had to disable the microsoft store. Since the store installs apps that need local admin without asking for local admin. Its a shitshow and the reason why all microslop installs at my house enjoy the Untrusted vlan with the heaviest filtering.
Re:Weigh this M$ (Score: 5, Insightful)
by Morromist ( 1207276 ) on Monday February 02, 2026 @05:05PM (#65965150)
I think microslop puts a lot of weight on its reputation, but utterly fail to realize its reputation is shit. Its a classic bubble situation. I have a friend who works there and I just can't bring myself to dump on microslop with them because I'm sure they care about their work and they seem to like the company.
But microsoft's reputation is horrid. They can't be trusted, their software constantly lies to your face. Anyone who has had to work in-depth with windows knows this.
Now with their gamble on ai failing because their ai is the worst of all the megacorp's ai and their founder being exposed as one of eptein's close buddies and europe moving to seperate from amerislop software, perhaps an inkling of their actual reputation is getting through. They really are in danger of losing marketshare in the Non-OS sectors of their buisness. I stopped using microsoft word 15 years ago, and you couldn't get me to go back to it with hot pokers. I'm using linux for gaming and windows for work, because I must, but every year it becomes easier to forget that microslop even exists.
Re:Weigh this M$ (Score: 5, Informative)
by Monoman ( 8745 ) on Monday February 02, 2026 @07:04PM (#65965398)
Even with the MS Store blocked I was able to get Copilot installed via the store.
We have a few Copilot licenses to evaluate it for our org. For some reason my PC didn't have the Copilot app. I probably disabled it a few months back for reasons. I searched around a bit and eventually figured I would ask Copilot via the web chat. It was useless and could not offer me any insight as to how to get Copilot crApp installed.
This is what fixed it. I went to office.com (now Copilot) Clicked to the install link which showed the MS Store was blocked but it downloaded the install and ran anyway. So much for our corp policy blocking the store. I repeated this with a coworker watching just to be sure I wasn't mistaken.
MS is so broken right now. I think it is going to get much worse before it gets better.
I Left Windows as Daily Driver Because of AI (Score: 5, Interesting)
by BrendaEM ( 871664 ) on Monday February 02, 2026 @03:13PM (#65964838)
Both the apparent AI, but also the installation of Recall means that I cannot have Windows on my machines, which have intellectual property.
Re:I Left Windows as Daily Driver Because of AI (Score: 5, Insightful)
by Spinlock_1977 ( 777598 ) on <Spinlock_1977 AT yahoo DOT com> on Monday February 02, 2026 @03:18PM (#65964856)
I've got the same problem. After ~4 decades, I'm looking for a new OS.
Re:I Left Windows as Daily Driver Because of AI (Score: 5, Informative)
by JustAnotherOldGuy ( 4145623 ) on Monday February 02, 2026 @03:50PM (#65964934)
May I recommend Linux Mint?
They Won't (Score: 5, Insightful)
by SlashbotAgent ( 6477336 ) on Monday February 02, 2026 @03:15PM (#65964844)
This is just bullshit to pacify the naysayers.
There's no way they'll turn around and pull features that they just launched and marketed.
Maybe they'll cut the marketing. Maybe they'll stop their push, although I doubt it. But, there's no way they are rolling anything back in Windows 11.
Maybe they'll pull it form Windows 12,but, even then, I doubt it.
Re:They Won't (Score: 5, Insightful)
by GoTeam ( 5042081 ) on Monday February 02, 2026 @03:23PM (#65964870)
This is just bullshit to pacify the naysayers.
There's no way they'll turn around and pull features that they just launched and marketed.
For sure. It seemed like they were pretty careful to say that the copilot "branding" is being removed. It doesn't sound like they're changing the functionality of anything.
TRANSLATION (Score: 5, Insightful)
by JustAnotherOldGuy ( 4145623 ) on Monday February 02, 2026 @03:49PM (#65964930)
TRANSLATION: "No one wants this bullshit no matter how hard we push it!"