Copilot Plus PC software TESTED _ These AI features NEED WORK! (Recall, Live Captions, Cocreate)
**Hands-On with Microsoft’s Co-pilot Plus AI Features at Computex Taipei**
The world of computing is buzzing with innovation, and nowhere was this more evident than at this year's Computex Taipei. The biggest topic dominating the show floor? Undoubtedly, **Microsoft’s Co-pilot Plus AI-powered PCs**, a groundbreaking integration of artificial intelligence into personal computing. These systems come equipped with a suite of advanced AI features designed to enhance productivity, creativity, and accessibility. We had the opportunity to dive hands-on with these cutting-edge features, and here’s what we discovered.
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### **1. Recall: The Flagship Feature**
At the heart of Co-pilot Plus lies **Recall**, billed as its standout feature. Designed to assist users in retrieving past activity through text or image recognition, Recall aims to make navigating your digital history seamless. During our time with Recall at a Qualcomm demo and various PC manufacturer sessions, we noticed both its promise and its current limitations.
For instance, when searching for "Reddit" in the web browser and then checking Recall’s visual search fields, the feature failed to deliver results—neither text nor image-based searches returned anything. A similar experience occurred while visiting Android Authority; Recall did manage to surface a result during visual search, placing it as the third option—a glimmer of hope for its potential.
However, **Recall isn't without its issues**. One particularly frustrating aspect is the process of re-enabling it after disabling screenshot saving in settings. Users are forced to navigate through multiple menus to reactivate Recall—a far cry from an intuitive user experience that Microsoft needs to address before launch.
Moreover, inconsistencies in filtering results were evident. While we could filter searches by Paint or Edge for one query, this option mysteriously vanished for others—raising questions about Recall’s stability and reliability.
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### **2. Privacy Concerns: A Cloud Over Recall’s Horizon**
As we delved deeper into Recall’s functionality, a significant concern emerged: **privacy**. Researcher Kevin Bowmont uncovered serious issues with how Recall handles data. Specifically, the feature stores search queries in plain text databases, which poses a security risk. Worse still, it even captures passwords if fields fail to blank them out.
While users can exclude certain apps and websites from Recall’s tracking, Microsoft must address these privacy vulnerabilities before the official release. The company has no choice but to ensure that Recall operates with stringent data protection measures in place to build user trust.
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### **3. Live Caption: A Step Forward for Accessibility**
Shifting focus to another standout feature, **Live Caption** mirrors its Android counterpart by providing real-time text captions and language translation—Qualcomm claims support for up to 44 languages, though this remains unverified. During our testing, we found the captions accurate enough, if not slightly delayed compared to built-in options.
The ability to move captions around on screen adds convenience, making it a boon for accessibility purposes. While it doesn’t match the polish of native captions, Live Caption holds its own and could be a game-changer for users relying on real-time text support.
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### **4. Image Co-Creator: Drawing Inspiration**
Next up is the **Image Co-Creator**, housed within Paint. This feature allows users to draw a basic image (like a house with the sun) and then enhance it using AI prompts. While we found it most effective when accompanied by specific instructions or a bit of effort in drawing, its "creativity slider" felt arbitrary—sometimes tweaking minor details and other times completely overhauling the image.
For example, when our colleague Paul Jones doodled a foot kicking a football, the results were far from expected—a testament to Co-Creator’s current hit-or-miss nature. Despite this unpredictability, it’s easy to see how Image Co-Creator could be a valuable tool for creative professionals, even if its current implementation is still rough around the edges.
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### **5. Hands-On Impressions and Future Outlook**
Overall, our hands-on experience with Co-pilot Plus was enlightening—if not entirely smooth. While features like Live Caption show real potential, Recall’s inconsistencies and privacy concerns highlight the need for further refinement before launch.
It remains to be seen whether Co-pilot Plus PCs are worth the investment. With devices set to debut on **June 18th**, early adopters will likely be the first to test these waters. For now, Live Caption stands out as a must-have feature, particularly for accessibility reasons. Image Co-Creator may appeal more to creative types, while Recall, despite its promise, needs time in the oven.
As we wrap up our Computex coverage, we’re curious to hear your thoughts: are these features something you’d use? Let us know in the comments below! Cheers, guys.