Windows' Recall Feature: Ask AI to Find That Elusive File, Exclusive to Select PCs

Microsoft is diving headfirst into the AI PC race, and they made some jaw-dropping announcements at their Build event. They're rolling out a new Copilot+ PC lineup and bringing some slick AI updates to Copilot. But the real showstopper? Recall AI, which Microsoft is calling a 'photographic memory' for your PC.

Imagine being able to ask your PC about a file, website, or email just by talking to it. For instance, you could say, "Hey, find that email from my boss with last week's conference schedule," or "Pull up that note I made about the project." No more fumbling around with search bars. It's like having a personal assistant right on your computer.

Here's how it works: Recall AI keeps a record of everything on your screen and uses AI to make it all searchable. So, instead of struggling to remember the exact name of a file, you can just describe it in everyday language. Say something like, "Find the PDF about employee onboarding," and it'll do the rest. Plus, it's a lifesaver for tracking down the latest version of a document without digging through folders.

Now, you might be wondering about privacy. Microsoft assures us that all this data stays right on your device—no cloud servers involved. They also promise not to use any of it to train their AI models. And if you're feeling a bit paranoid, you can always check, edit, or delete anything Recall captures. It's like flipping through a timeline of your PC's activities to find exactly what you need.

There's a catch, though: Recall AI is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs for now. It needs some serious hardware to work its magic, specifically an ARM64 processor, Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus, at least 225GB of storage, and 16GB of RAM. So, if you're thinking about upgrading, these are the specs to keep an eye on.