How do I disable Copilot and all Other AI functionality in Windows 11 PRO

What I do when I find something running that I don't want, is determine the name of the executable, and the folder it lives in. Then go rename all of that stuff to something else, recreate the same file and folder structure, and code up a little program of my own by the same name.exe that simply pops up a window and says, "Congratulations! You narrowly avoided running Microsoft trashware ___.exe!".

Unfortunately, that doesn't work, because somehow the OS seems to detect the change, and put the old trashware right back in, cuz pretty soon it's up and in my face again. (The thing urging me to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is a particular annoyance, for example. )

For those who might think that this is an impingement on, or even a violation of, the structures against reverse engineering in the Microsoft license, first of all I haven't by self-accepted a Microsoft license in 30 years so I think that's expired, and second, Microsoft as long since clearly made itself an enemy of the people and of the planet, has there by forfeited its right to protection under the social contract, and is therefore an open and legitimate target for any vengeance you or I choose to wreak and find possible. I say go for it, bring them down.

Windows Recall has already been hacked and it's not even out of preview yet. And it only takes seconds.

"TotalRecall, Hagenah says, can automatically work out where the Recall database is on a laptop and then make a copy of the file, parsing all the data as it does so. While Microsoft's new Copilot+ PCs aren't out yet, it's possible to use Recall by emulating a version of the devices. "It does everything automatically," he says. The system can set a date range for extracting the data—for instance, pulling information from only one specific week or day. Pulling one day of screenshots from Recall, which stores its information in an SQLite database, took two seconds at most, Hagenah⁩ says."

https://www.wired.com/story/total-recall-windows-recall-ai/

I agree with you @Nunya Bizness.

Copilot supports the RECALL functionality:

Microsoft states that the screenshots and database(s) are encrypted, but I think that any powerful AI APP or utility, especially one that runs in the background, lacks openness and transparency.

Because most are proprietary in nature, there is (AFAIK) going to be a great lack of viable tools to verify vendors claims for ANY such AI models.

Even the OpenAI group is NOT open about how it trains it's AI models according to Mozilla, and is even fighting a major court case brought by the New York Times – asking them to explain its use of personal data and copyrighted content in its AI models.

This shows that the big companies developing this technology are hiding behind the "proprietary" wall, to avoid any oversight and responsibility.

It only takes a minor coding error to open up a hackers paradise, and therefore I put this in the same basket as IoT firmware, as regards security and privacy.

Data Breaches make big news (Optus, AT&T, Medibank, Ticketmaster to name a few), but this does NOT help those affected.

I believe that we should ALL be aware of the inherent risks that this sort of AI poses, and do our utmost to reduce our attack surface, whether that is in a Home network, or a business setting.

So, turn off what you do not need, or what might pose a security or privacy risk. As I see it, COPILOT is more useful to the Microsoft AI LLM systems than it is to users.

See this for proof of an issue waiting to happen:

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/3/24170305/microsoft-windows-recall-ai-screenshots-security-privacy-issues

I followed the link posted by @user_01_ and it seemed to work OK, at least for the COPILOT side of things, not sure about the EDGE browser, but I rarely use it. This is on s Windows 11 Pro system with GPEDIT, so possibly the HOME edition might have to use the Registry edit trick.