"Enable enhanced agentic features for an enriched experience across our operating system!"

    [      Always Allow     ]
    [       Allow Once      ]
    [ Remind me in 24 hours ]

This is headed for a severe backlash. Social media has broken a lot of trust, but the way AI is being deployed is taking that ball and running way further.

If someone who you thought was untrustworthy offered to sit in on your sensitive board meeting and take notes for free, would you think that was a good deal and let them do it? What about your doctor's appointment?

I really think the breaking point is close and you're going to see people figure out how to be the digital Amish and run what they need locally and live without the benefits of the rest.

What about not sharing at all?

Oh well, if only we could start having Raspberry PI like mini PCs on consumer stores, instead of places only computer nerds know the location, and magic incantations.

If this is like any other of Microsoft's attempts to get you to turn on something that you clearly do not want, it will pop up a wizard every few weeks saying "please confirm your choices" and will have a weasel-worded message saying "Increase your PC's security intelligence by enabling AI-powered data validation" with two buttons: "Protect My PC" and "Ask me later".

I have a couple Windows boxes for rarely-used Windows-only software and loathe trying to navigate the monthly "Are you REALLY sure you don't want to link your iPhone to this PC? And, are you SUPER DUPER sure that Microsoft Edge shouldn't be your default browser? What about backing up all your files to OneDrive? You sure???" prompts

2026: The year of the linux desktop.

This happens every tine with Microsoft: * Announces feature implemented in a horrible way * Everyone gets mad * Microsoft cancels the feature or removes features people complain about

I'm sick and tired of listening to it.

Someone in here once wrote that Microsoft must be doing it on purpose - it is similar to the negotiation tactic where you overcharge on purpose so your opponent feels they won something when you settle for less. Surely this is Microsoft's strategy to get you to accept them pushing this garbage on us.

Remember, the AI bubble winner won't be the one that pushes the first polished AI tool. It will be the company that fills most of the market, such that they already have market share by the time they are able to do something useful with it.

There's never been a better time to switch to Linux

This isn't a win for anyone. Windows 11 should ask consent before installing any AI feature on user's computers.

Windows 11 will ask consent before sharing personal files with AI after outrage

They left off the ... until the public forgets in a month or two

[Not now] and similar "options" will never not irritate me.

Microsoft forgot that what it provided was an Operating System, a platform, something from what the user build their workflows. Now they seem to trow everything but the kitchen sink

The visual language is not consistent. In the "experimental agentic features" dialog - "Turn on" (positive choice) is highlighted, yet in the "allow access to files" dialog, "not now" (negative choice) is.

This is either negligent design or intent to confuse users.

This'll be a good one for dark-pattern-bingo night!

What else do you expect when you hire grifters like Mustafa Suleyman and put them in charge of decision making.

So now the poor people forced into using Windows 11 will get constant prompts for each file and new files as they are created ? Looks like maybe at the directory level, a little better, but will be fun for developers :(

M/S should allow people to disable AI globally, but that will never happen. Plus how do we know if saying "no" really means "no" ?

In reality Microsoft woke up and realized that they were rapidly sliding down the slippery slope towards the sloppy ground of a minimum user install situation and so they are trying to dig in their fingernails to arrest the slide. I predict that they will change their stance after stabilizing their position and advancing a little further back up the user install curve so that they silently move users towards a full data sharing arrangement again hoping to abscond with as much marketable user data as possible before the new terms leak and they find themselves again slip-sliding down towards an install minimum that they should've floundered in years ago.