Microsoft uses AI to push Windows 10 upgrade to users

On 12 November 2019, users running Windows 10 version 1803 (the October 2018 update) or earlier on non-enterprise licenses will be required to upgrade to version 1903 (May 2019 update) or find themselves no longer able to receive monthly security updates.

According to Microsoft, from that date, Windows 10 version 1803 Home, Windows 10 version 1803 Pro, Windows 10 version 1803 Pro for Workstations, and Windows 10 version 1803 IoT Core will reach end of servicing, which means:

Windows Update will automatically initiate a feature update to ensure device security and ecosystem health.

Support for Windows 10 Enterprise users still on 1803 will end in November 2020.

Needless to say, despite recent warnings this was coming, the update demand is likely to come as a shock to many 1803 users who only received what is still the most widely used version of Windows 10 as recently as May 2018.

Machine learning model will push updates to users

How will users of 1803 or earlier know they must update? In fact, it seems they won’t – Microsoft will automatically make that decision for them.

The intriguing detail of how this will be done emerged earlier this week in a tweet by @WindowsUpdate:

? [Windows Release Health Update – New Message] We are beginning to train the machine learning based rollout proces… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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Windows Update (@WindowsUpdate) June 18, 2019

In short, from this week, 1803’s days are numbered, but it is a machine that will make the decision about how numbered.