Subj : Microsofts Copilot AI can now read your files directly, but it's To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Tue Mar 05 2024 17:00:06 Microsofts Copilot AI can now read your files directly, but it's not the privacy nightmare it sounds like Date: Tue, 05 Mar 2024 16:46:42 +0000 Description: Copilot gets yet another upgrade for Windows 11 and Edge the ability to read and summarize your documents for you. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Microsoft has begun rolling out a new feature for its Copilot AI assistant in Windows that will allow the bot to directly read files on your PC, then provide a summary, locate specific data, or search the internet for additional information. Copilot has already been aggressively integrated into Microsoft 365 and Windows 11 as a whole, and this latest feature sounds at least on paper like a serious privacy issue. After all, who would want an AI peeking at all their files and uploading that information directly to Microsoft? Well, fortunately, Copilot isnt just going to be snooping around at random. As spotted by @Leopeva64 on X (formerly Twitter), you have to manually drag and drop the file into the Copilot chat box (or select the Add a file option). Once the file is in place, you can proceed to make a request of the AI; the suggestion provided by Leopeva64 is simply summarize, which Copilot proceeds to do. Another step towards Copilot being genuinely useful Ill admit it, Im a Copilot critic. Perhaps its just because Im a jaded career journalist with a lifetime of tech know-how and a neurodivergent tilt towards unhealthy perfectionism, but Ive never seen the value of an AI assistant built into my operating system of choice; however, this is the sort of Copilot feature I actually might use. The option to summarize alone seems quite useful: more than once, Ive been handed a chunky PDF with embargoed details about a new tech product, and it would be rather nice not to have to sift through pages and pages of dense legalese and tech jargon just to find the scraps of information that are actually relevant to TechRadars readership. Summarizing documents is already something that ChatGPT and Adobe Acrobat AI can do, so it makes sense for Copilot an AI tool that's specifically positioned as an on-system helper to be able to do it. While I personally prefer to be the master of my own Googling, I can see the web-search capabilities being very helpful to a lot of users, too. If youve got a file containing partial information, asking Copilot to fill in the blanks could save you a lot of time. Copilot appears capable of reading a variety of different file types, from simple text documents to PDFs and spreadsheets. Given the flexible nature of modern AI chatbots, there are potentially many different things you could ask Copilot to do with your files though apparently, it isnt able to scan files for viruses (at least, not yet). If youre keen to get your hands on this feature yourself, you hopefully wont have to wait long. While it doesnt seem to be widely available just yet, Leopeva64 notes that it appears Copilots latest new skill is being rolled out gradually, so itll likely start showing up for more Windows 11 users as time goes on. The Edge version of Copilot will apparently be getting this feature too, as Leopeva points out that its currently available in the Canary prototype build of the browser if you want to check that out, you just have to sign up for the Edge Insider Program . You might also like Windows Copilot will soon allow you to edit photos, shop instantly, and more Microsofts Windows 11 nagging is set to hit new heights - so Windows 10 Pro users prepare yourselves Snapdragon X could finally deliver Windows 11 ARM laptops that can rival MacBooks ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/microsofts-copilot -ai-can-now-read-your-files-directly-but-its-not-the-privacy-nightmare-it-soun ds-like --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .