Microsoft’s new AI tool that records your laptop screen every few seconds has been called a ‘privacy nightmare’ by experts

Microsoft’s latest AI-powered tool gives your PC a ‘photographic memory’ – but experts worry it could cost you your privacy.

The new tool, called ‘Recall’, automatically takes screenshots of your laptop every few seconds for you to review later.

Microsoft says the screenshots are stored locally on your computer and cannot be accessed by the tech giant’s staff or any remote hacker.

However, experts have raised concerns that this could make it easier for people to get personal information from your device if it falls into the wrong hands.

Dr Kris Shrishak, an AI and privacy consultant, called the tool a potential ‘privacy nightmare’.

“The very fact that screenshots will be taken while using the device could have a chilling effect on people,” he told the BBC.

James Bore, a technical expert at consultancy Bores Group, said the snapshot tool ‘could capture information that could not otherwise be saved’, such as passwords, credit card details or login details.

If the laptop fell into the wrong hands, the perpetrator could ‘gain access to the user’s session and obtain information’.

‘The main thing for me would be to make sure it’s very easy to activate and deactivate, and ideally to automate that deactivation as much as possible,’ Bore told MailOnline.

However, Bore believes that when the company says that no one else can see the screenshots, Microsoft believes that “the consequences of lying about something like that massively outweigh any potential benefits.”

MailOnline has contacted Microsoft for comment.

The recall is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft’s new line of Windows laptops powered by its Copilot AI assistant, introduced earlier this month.

According to Microsoft, Recall is intended to ‘solve one of the most frustrating problems we face every day’ – retrieving web pages on the computer.

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With the tool, users can locate content they’ve been watching on their device using search or a timeline that lets them scroll back through screenshots.

‘With Recall, you can access almost anything you’ve seen or done on your computer in a way that feels like you have a photographic memory,’ says the tech giant.

It added that Recall can be turned on and off at any time, but the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it was contacting Microsoft for more information about Recall’s security measures.

An ICO spokesperson said: ‘We are making inquiries with Microsoft to understand the safeguards in place to protect user privacy.

‘We expect organizations to be transparent with users about how their data is used and to process personal data only to the extent necessary to achieve a specific purpose.

‘Industry must consider data protection from the outset and rigorously assess and mitigate risks to people’s rights and freedoms before placing products on the market.’

Microsoft unveiled Copilot last fall, heralding ‘the entry into a new era of artificial intelligence’ that is changing the way ‘we benefit from technology’.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Microsoft would be adding a dedicated AI button to its PCs – and many users weren’t happy about it.

The new line of Windows laptops has this AI button on the keyboard for quick access to the Copilot chatbot.