Engadget Podcast: Can Microsoft fix Windows 11 by dumping AI?
TL;DR
Microsoft is reversing course on Windows 11: instead of pushing Copilot into everything, the focus is shifting back to customization and core features.
Key Points
- The Engadget Podcast debates whether this reset can save Windows – or whether macOS and Linux are already the smarter choice.
- OpenAI shut down its Sora video generation app after just 5 months.
- Meta had a disastrous week in court: a $375 million ruling in a New Mexico child engagement case and a lost social media addiction lawsuit.
- OpenAI has also paused its erotic chat feature indefinitely.
Nauti's Take
Who would have thought: the biggest Windows fix of 2025 might simply be putting less AI into it. Microsoft spent years chasing the 'AI everywhere' mantra and forgot that an operating system is supposed to be reliable and usable above all else.
The Copilot retreat isn't a strategic masterstroke – it's a capitulation to the reality that forced AI features make nobody happy. And while Microsoft backtracks, OpenAI is fighting on multiple fronts at once: Sora flopped, erotic chat frozen, Meta drowning in legal chaos.
The AI industry is collectively experiencing the hangover after the hype.
Context
Microsoft's Copilot retreat is a clear signal: users don't want AI forced into every corner of their operating system. The fact that a company that has poured billions into OpenAI is now pulling back on AI integration shows just how strong the backlash from its own user base has become. Meanwhile, the broader AI product landscape is also showing cracks – Sora's swift shutdown and OpenAI's behavioral corrections suggest that overreach is currently coming at a high cost.
Sources