Microsoft is finally pulling the plug on its digital assistant Cortana after many years of service. Since its initial launch, Cortana was a unique fixture of the Windows operating system and was integrated into every iteration since Windows 8. Windows 11 will be the first time in a decade that the digital assistant will not appear on a Microsoft device.
The flagship feature of Cortana had been its ability to provide assistance with questions and search on Windows. It also provided updates related to the device and its user, such as reminders about calendar events or consolidating shared information. Microsoft integrated the assistant into its other products, such as the Office suite, where it could provide helpful tips and tricks to make workflows easier.
With the advent of other digital assistants and voice assistant technologies, Microsoft’s decision to sunset Cortana may not come as a surprise. Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google’s Assistant have quickly become the industry leaders in artificial intelligence and voice-activated assistance. Microsoft has chosen to focus its efforts on Microsoft Teams, which is more attuned to business applications but still relying on AI and integrated intelligence to provide value.
What’s surprising is how few of Cortana’s features were moved into other services from Microsoft. Prompting users to log into their Microsoft account with a voice command ended up being discontinued. Also, the skill of connecting calendars between users was stripped away. Microsoft has moved to other commercial competitors for this type of work, such as the AI bots within Slack or Zoom.
Windows 11 is mapping out Microsoft’s vision for the future of computing and looks to be the first step into a new era without Cortana. As the industry moves forward, Microsoft is likely to continue to develop their AI and voice assistant technology and give users the best possible experience.
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