The tech giant believes its work on search, speech recognition, and machine learning will make Cortana the first intelligent digital assistant that can provide predictive information about users.
Microsoft is working on an advanced version of Cortana to rival the likes of Apple’s Siri and Google Now, according to a Reuters‘ interview with Eric Horvitz, managing director of Microsoft research.
The new version of Cortana is based on research from Microsoft’s artificial intelligence project called “Einstein.” It will be built into Windows 10 this fall, and further be available on both iOS and Android devices.
“This kind of technology, which can read and understand email, will play a central role in the next roll out of Cortana, which we are working on now for the fall time frame,” said Horvitz.
Supported by Cortana’s search, speech recognition, and machine learning capabilities, Microsoft aims to this advanced version into the first intelligent digital assistant that can predict users‘ needs.
But whether Cortana will become the cream of the crop remains to be seen, as Google and Apple are pushing boundaries as well.
In its latest mobile app, Google has leveraged its billions of searches to predict what a user is doing and what they are interested in, and send them relevant information accordingly. At the same time, Apple has integrated Siri (which uses Microsoft’s Bing search engine) into its CarPlay software to allow drivers to reply to incoming messages without taking their eyes off the road. The company has also placed Siri on its HomeKit system and Apple Watch.
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