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Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Wants To Automatically Launch Its Copilot AI on Some Windows 11 Devices (theverge.com) 40

Posted by msmash from the typical-Microsoft-move dept.
Microsoft has started testing a change to Windows 11 that will see its AI-powered Copilot feature automatically open when Windows starts on "widescreen devices." From a report: The change is being tested as part of Microsoft's latest Dev Channel preview of Windows 11, allowing Windows testers to provide feedback ahead of a broader rollout. "We are trying out opening Copilot automatically when Windows starts on widescreen devices with some Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel," says Microsoft in a blog post. The company doesn't make it clear what exactly a "widescreen" device is, but the Windows 11 setting itself says Copilot will automatically open "when you're using a wider screen." So I'm assuming this is limited to ultrawide monitors and less traditional desktop resolutions, but I've asked Microsoft to clarify and will update you accordingly.
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Microsoft Wants To Automatically Launch Its Copilot AI on Some Windows 11 Devices More

Microsoft Wants To Automatically Launch Its Copilot AI on Some Windows 11 Devices

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  • Cortana 2 or Clippy 3? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by sinij ( 911942 ) on Friday January 12, 2024 @09:58AM (#64152729)
    I am sure they think the third time it is going to work. Meanwhile the rest of us stuck on Windows are scrambling with regedit to find a way to turn this shit off.

    • Re:Cortana 2 or Clippy 3? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by omnichad ( 1198475 ) on Friday January 12, 2024 @10:08AM (#64152769) Homepage

      Probably worse. To me, Copilot (both the name and screen position) means they eventually intend to use the content of the rest of the screen as context to have its copilot help out. So Clippy for the whole computer. "It looks like you're trolling on Reddit. Our data shows that there are a few changes you can make to bait people a little better."

    • MS clearly do not think it is going to work because otherwise why force it on everyone? If it's good people will install it themselves. The fact that they are going to force it on everyone suggests it will be utterly crap and the only people running it will be those who cannot find out how to kill it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by taustin ( 171655 )

        MS clearly do not think it is going to work because otherwise why force it on everyone?

        It isn't a question of whether they think it will work. It's a question of what they believe it will do. And as soon as you ask the right question, why they want to force it on everyone answers itself.

      • I have a strong feeling that the government will NOT be very happy with AI even being ON a windows computer (desktop or server), much less firing up automagically.

        I need to check my Lead Balloon stock these days to see how this will go over....

        • I need to check my Lead Balloon stock these days to see how this will go over....

          Hate to burst your, uh, balloon, but a lead balloon can exist [youtube.com].

          Try granite instead.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by kmoser ( 1469707 )
        They don't know if it'll work because they haven't tested it. That's what suckers--uh, end users are for.

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by angel'o'sphere ( 80593 )

      I'm traveling at the moment.

      When I'm back home, I wipe this laptop and put Linux on it.

      When I bought it, I knew it "has a virus" called windows. Configuring it already was a pain in the rectum, as it needs a "Microsoft Account". My Skype account was not good enough, so my Google account had to come in: and is now compromised.

      No idea what this Microsoft bullshit is about. When I installed Chrome, I literally got 3 pop ups telling me: you do not need Chrome. Edge uses the same engine! Installing Chrome put Ya

      • The Windows Account as far as I know is still optional. It's just that the UI makes it difficult to only have local accounts, and Microsoft wants to hide their existence. To Microsoft, you are the product and you need an account so that they can monetize you.

        The alternative if not allowed, is to install with Windows Account, create a new admin account that's a local account, then delete the original.

        And ys Windows 11 is indeed proselytizing you heavily into using Edge, even if you want something else. Gra

    • Of course, Microsoft will respond to any attempts to disable or install by claiming Copilot is an "integral" part of Windows and, like Edge, cannot be removed. If ever sued, this will be their defense since it's how they've done this in the past.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by sinij ( 911942 )
        More so, US Government won't sue them, because Copilot will allow them to remotely lift anything from your local drive, for the rare cases where it isn't already auto-uploaded to OneDrive.

  • from the screenshot it seems they included a clear and easy option to disable this yet-more-useless-unsolicited-spying-crap to stop polluting screen estate and interface space. kudos for that, ms!

    on the flip side, this may indicate their telemetry says people are not using that copilot that enough. well, i don't think shoving it into developer's faces is going to fix that. maybe just let it die already?

    • Let it die after adding a Copilot key to their keyboards? Hardly.

    • My question would be is it actually disabled? More than once I have "disabled" an option in Windows only to find out the process is still running and active. For example, Xbox Gaming Bar was turned off in the settings menu similar to what was shown. But it would still launch a pop-up while I was playing a game in a Clippy style, "[Game A] has launched. Would you like to connect with friends on Xbox to play the game?" It would do that in the middle of a game taking the focus away from game at the worst time

    • Tells you something about a feature if its most prized and valued feature is that it's easy to disable.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Tarlus ( 1000874 )

      I remember when Windows 10 upgrade notifications made it easy to decline and stick with Windows 7, when it was still under support.

      And then, one morning, my Windows 7 PC was running Windows 10 without my consent.

  • There'd better be a way to turn this off if MS decides to send this to Production Windows. I hallucinate just fine all on my own (particularly after a rough night). I don't need some AI to do it for me. I have more important things to deal with!

  • I am guessing that MS wants users to become dependent upon copilot for everything, including opening menus. This is just more of the same shit where execs think that people want to use voice commands to do everything, whether it's adjusting the volume in your car or trying to view an email. Makes it easier to remove the remaining controls later so you have no other way to do things, and all of that data comes back to MS to be monetized.
    • This interface perversion stuff started long before tracking/spyware.

      You know there used to be no buttons or controls, at all, on the steering wheels of cars?

  • Can't they just not? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by stealth_finger ( 1809752 ) on Friday January 12, 2024 @10:14AM (#64152797)
    Can't they just not? Can't they just fuck off?

  • MS No Longer Make Operating Systems (Score:4, Insightful)

    by TractorBarry ( 788340 ) on Friday January 12, 2024 @11:08AM (#64152985) Homepage

    Unfortrunately MicroSoft are no longer producing general purpose operating systems. They're producing "Fisher Price" "one size fits all", "dumb" appliances full of shovel/crap ware.

    Like a lot of other folk I run a Windows machine as the programs I want to run are written for Windows. In my case I use it to run Reaper and some other audio/video tools (I've got machines running Linux/XFCE for everything else) so I've got precisely zero interest in all this crap they keep trying to push and their constant pointless UI changes. Currently I'm running Windows 10 LTSC as it has the least amount of crap and this is the last version of Windows I'll ever use at home.

    I long ago worked out never to use MS software for anything (or your data would get locked into their shitty formats) so I'd been using things like Firefox, Thunderbird, VLC, Foobar, Winamp, Notepad++ etc. etc. for years anyway.

    The US DOJ really missed a trick years ago. They should have broken up MS into two companies. One that writes a base OS (with full published APIs) and one that writes their software offerings. With no collusion, no hidden API usage, and no forced installs of anything etc.

    MS simply no longer understand the concept of the personal computer and think everyone wants to use it as a shopping/social moronity/media consumption device. No thanks. If I wanted that bullshit I'd but a (cr)Apple device.

    • MS simply no longer understand ...

      I think MS understands a "shopping/social moronity/media consumption device" is more profitable than a "personal computer" O.S. they sell once and spend 5 years fixing for free.

  • It's now called ClippyPilot

  • They see nobody is intentionally opening the thing they never asked for. Solution? Force it to open on startup. That'll bump the stats nicely.

    When people hate everything you're making? Force it down their throats! Force it hard and furiously. Because there's nothing the end-user can do about it.

  • Most people will probably ask as their first question "How can I remove that junk for good?"

    • I already tried that: I asked CoPilot how I could turn it off in Windows 11. CoPilot told me I can't, it's "integrated" into the operating system. I believe that's what they told the EU about Internet Explorer years ago; the EU didn't buy it, IIRC.

  • ... users seek it out and use it voluntarily
    If something sucks, and management desperately wants it to succeed, they force it down your throat
    It's almost like a reliable indicator. If it appears without user action and it's difficult to turn off, it sucks mightily
    The degree of suckage is directly proportional to the difficult in turning it off

  • Just because I have an ultrawide doesn't mean I want your stupid app auto-loading. Why would they even think desktop size is a good reason to enable this?!
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Still haven't got a clue why I would need copilot in my windows (or browser). They can't even get me decent results in bing or google for what I'm really looking for.

  • M$ is forcing clippy AI on Vista 11 (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    One of the consequences will be the MAFIAA will have digital restrictions management in AI to close the "analog hole" for copying music and movies as M$ is in bed with the MAFIAA. Go ahead and do this, then the migration to GNU/Linux will only accelerate and it will lead to the downfall of M$.

    --
    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk

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