Before Recall, Microsoft failed with Timeline: how the idea of ​​artificial memory survived

Announced with fanfare during its Surface event earlier this weekRecall is spearheading the AI ​​revolution made-in Microsoft. Since its initial demo, Microsoft has been able to tell us more about how it works, notably through a fairly extensive FAQ, a semi-formal response to the concerns that the technology has raised regarding the privacy of Windows users.

The integration of artificial intelligence technologies into operating systems is becoming more and more common, and Microsoft is not left out with its new Recall functionality, integrated into Windows 11 and capable of running locally thanks to new generations of Copilot PCs + equipped with NPU. What if we told you that this innovation is in fact just an evolution, that it originated in Microsoft and that the Mac has had a similar functionality for over a year?

Do you Recall, not long ago…

Does Timeline mean anything to you? Launched with Windows 10 in 2018, the feature aimed to give users an easy way to review and resume their recent activities, whether on the same device or across multiple devices synced via the cloud. It made it possible to quickly find documents, websites and other activities, thus facilitating work continuity. However, despite its initial promises, Timeline failed to establish itself as a must-have tool, in part due to its reliance on Cortana and synchronization issues.

Already at the time, the security and privacy issues that Recall’s announcement raises today were addressed, even if not to the same extent. It should be noted, however, that at that time, Microsoft offered the option of storing activity histories in the cloud to ensure synchronization between devices, which alarmed very few media outlets at the time.

Microsoft has decided to remove Timeline from Windows 10 in 2021, citing a lack of adoption and technical challenges with cross-device syncing. This decision marked the end of a feature which, although promising, failed to meet user expectations and the technical requirements of the time.

Little reminder on Recall

Recall takes snapshots of your screen every 5 seconds, capturing documents, images, emails, and other content displayed. These snapshots are stored locally on your device, ensuring your data remains private and secure. Thanks to Windows Semantic Index, which Microsoft introduced with its version 365 of Copilot, Recall offers advanced semantic search, allowing users to quickly find information using natural language queries. For example, you can search for specific terms or particular times, and Recall will display relevant snapshots matching your search.

You can configure the storage allocation for snapshots, with options ranging from 25 GB to 150 GB depending on the capacity of your device. When the storage limit is reached, the oldest snapshots are deleted to make room for new ones. This ensures efficient disk space management while preserving useful history. Users have the ability to filter apps and websites to exclude certain content from screenshots. Additionally, data is encrypted with BitLocker, adding an extra layer of security. You can also delete specific snapshots or all snapshots within a defined period, providing complete control over your data. A small widget accessible in the taskbar allows you to view the latest captures. Finally, it is of course possible to completely deactivate Recall or pause it until the end of the day directly from the widget.

What about the Mac?

The Rewind AI application, available since the end of 2022 and partly funded by the CEO. from OpenAI, allows you to search for information going back in time using screenshots and character recognition. Exclusively available on Mac, Rewind continually records the screen and uses OCR to index displayed content. This feature is reminiscent of Microsoft Recall, although geared more towards visual indexing, and without the underlying AI models. While operating locally (it is mainly OCR which requires significant computing power), Rewind relies on the GPT family of models for certain tasks, such as summarizing a meeting transcript, although nothing is done without you expressly requesting it.

OpenAI recently launched a ChatGPT app for macOS, promising an improved user experience compared to the web version. This desktop application, designed to work seamlessly with other programs, allows users to interact with ChatGPT via text or voice commands. The application will soon offer responses based on visual analysis of screen content by capturing it in real time. Users can enable ChatGPT easily using the Option + Space keyboard shortcut. Rewind showed that a Mac-style Recall was technically possible, so it’s not difficult to imagine a feature exclusive to ChatGPT Plus that would ultimately do the same thing. Unless…

… Rumors have been circulating for months: Apple is developing on-device AI models for iOS, which could also work on macOS. This initiative clearly indicates the direction Apple is taking: offering powerful and secure AI capabilities, similar to those of Microsoft Recall, but natively integrated into the Apple ecosystem. With a dedicated neural engine since the move to its own SoCs, the hardware is there to support such a computational load. WWDC is coming soon, and although all eyes are on iOS 18, the next version of macOS could well surprise us and pull the rug out from under OpenAI, especially since the M4 chip recently unveiled has worked hard on its NPU.