Your Windows download keeps getting bigger, and AI is to blame - here's why it matters
TL;DR
Windows installation files have been steadily creeping up in size, to the point where calling them bloated seems fair. The cause is the AI stack Microsoft bakes into the operating system: models and runtime components ship with the image whether you use them or not, which hurts machines with limited storage or slow connections.
Nauti's Take
Shipping AI models inside the operating system has real upside, since features run offline and data stays on the device. The catch is that Microsoft pushes that weight onto everyone, including machines with tight storage and slow connections that never asked for Copilot.
Anyone managing older hardware should recalculate storage planning and update windows rather than be surprised by growing downloads.