Off switch?
As quickly as I learn how to turn this stuff off, MS seem to find new ways to piss me off.
Please, please, c'mon, just... please, pretty please, just, like, please use our AI – Microsoft
Microsoft has bunged a load of AI-powered features into its software – from Azure and Office 365 to Bing and Cortana. The capabilities, a large collection of individually minor updates and new stuff, are part of an effort by the Windows giant to translate its machine-learning research work into things that will actually matter …
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Thursday 14th December 2017 06:30 GMT Anonymous Coward
Dodged a bullet thar!
Today I spent a bit of time cleaning up the tablets; taking out the trash, err, non-functional apps. I did have most all the Microsoft Android apps, just 'cuz. With the exception of Outlook, and there's a caution on that, not a one of them worked. Most got stuck trying to log in, which shouldn't be a problem as the already had been logged into on several occasions using all four of my Microsoft accounts. That might have been the problem although it shouldn't be as Outlook didn't mind at all. The caution though on Outlook is it isn't Outlook at all. at least when you desire even basic functionality. Just another Webmail paste-over.
They are all gone now, joining Windows 10 and Server 2016 in the great bitbucket in the sky. A drunken wake might be appropriate now. So. Microsoft AI? Over my dead body, although if that's handling my VA medical care which is highly likely, I may not have to wait long to join the apps.
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Friday 15th December 2017 02:53 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Machine learning....
"I still don't understand what expert systems, machine learning, data mining and all the other fashionable technologies have got to do with Artificial Insemination."
Looks like horse breeders are the pioneers of AI, In fact, their AI produces purebred race winners, bringing fame and fortune.
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Thursday 14th December 2017 10:30 GMT Sil
A funny barb at Microsoft!
Still, it does mean something, Microsoft is focusing on ways for AI to enhance our human capabilities, vs using AI for other less savory purposes - which they also do, such as ad tech.
Case in point: AI for live translation, enabling people to work together while not speaking a common language. Or helping blind people 'see'. It's pretty impressive stuff, and human centric.
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Thursday 14th December 2017 11:04 GMT Teiwaz
Golden Path required....
Still, it does mean something, Microsoft is focusing on ways for AI to enhance our human capabilities, vs using AI for other less savory purposes - which they also do, such as ad tech.
Didn't work so well in the Dune universe....or many others
Humans became lazy and pampered, and most importantly allowed a small group of ambitious extremists to overthrow civilisation and then get enslaved themselves because some of them were lazy and liked to be pampered.
Yes, they'll be great advances in living assistance, but there's no money in that, it may be the original reason and often a driver in research, but it'll end up the altruistic sideline to the 'business' where the money is in trying to get computers to workout when we want the lights on and off* so we don't have to get our collective 'fat arses' off the sofa
* 'lights on and off' is a trivial application, but symbolises the convenience aspect over the necessary.
Mark my words, a hundred years after a certain amount of 'good enough' perfection, we'll all either be dead, enslaved, or beached whales high and dry on our coastal sofas without our electronic servants to forklift us off when we actually need to be somewhere that isn't virtual...
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Thursday 14th December 2017 13:09 GMT Craig 2
"PS: Before anyone gets upset we're being too dismissive and skeptical of Microsoft, just think of us as an antidote to the cynical laundering of the Redmond software giant, which fields its CEO, Satya Nadella, out to cosy US cable TV."
El Reg scared of commentards? Have you gone soft for Christmas?!
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Thursday 14th December 2017 13:54 GMT Dave K
Wrong priorities...
I would gladly trade "improved AI" and other such bollocks if MS could just consider finishing the core of Windows 10 and providing some better controls to users.
- Finish the Settings panel so there isn't a mis-mash of some settings in Control Panel and some in Settings. It's daft, it's messy, and it gives Windows 10 a really "unfinished" feel.
- Provide a proper "Off" switch for the telemetry. I don't even care if it's on by default, but stop the need for 3rd party apps and other such hacks for this.
- Provide proper controls for Windows Updates, and prevent reboots unless *explicitly* sanctioned by the end user.
I use Windows 7 or Ubuntu on my PCs, but do have Windows 10 on a test laptop. It's frankly baffling to me how MS keep on pissing around with low priority bumpf like this instead of fixing the key flaws with Windows 10 that put so many people off using it. Yes, I know MS don't want to do this, but the result isn't people just accepting it, it's people using different OSs or lots of 3rd party hacks.
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Thursday 14th December 2017 18:07 GMT Teiwaz
Re: Learn Something
I give Microsoft AI's 8 hours (because it's not as good as DeepMind) before it learns not to use Bing.
Given Microsofts previous record on AI *cough*Tay*Cough* it'll be more Deepthroat than DeepMind, maybe something for popcorn aficionados to munch too (don't see the point to the stuff myself)
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