How Microsoft Is Making Cortana More Human

Microsoft wants to change the relationship you have with your personal voice assistant.

Credit: Tom's Guide

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

At this year's Build developer conference, the software giant revealed a vision in which every business has a personalized agent, just as every organization now has a website. But instead of developing a soulless encyclopedia of knowledge with a concrete set of skills, Microsoft is focusing on providing information in a more human way.

With the help of newly-acquired Semantic Machines, Microsoft created a new conversational engine that will transform Cortana from a voice assistant that answers commands to one capable of holding conversations.

In a brief video, the company showed a voice assistant rattle off tasks from a calendar app and agree to make edits where necessary. For example, the AI was able to rebook a meeting to a new room, then invite those who should attend.

A Cortana user then has a casual chat with the voice assistant, stringing together related commands as if she were having a conversation with a human. At one point, the user asks what restaurant she is meeting a coworker at, then asks for the weather at that location before getting directions sent to her car.

Microsoft will likely provide more details on the changes coming to Cortana at Build 2019. We'll update this article when we learn more.

This post originally appeared on Laptop Mag.

TOPICS

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. Previously, he was a Senior Writer at Tom's Guide and has also been a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.

Latest in Copilot
M365 Copilot
Microsoft reveals AI employees at Ignite — agents will come to the workplace
Apple Intelligence vs Windows Copilot superimposed on a screen
I review PCs for a living, and Apple Intelligence is already better than Windows Copilot
Microsoft Copilot app running on a phone with Microsoft logo in background
I had Copilot and ChatGPT talk to each other — it got complicated
A close-up of the CoPilot+ button on the Asus ProArt PX13's keyboard
Don't like Copilot? Microsoft might let you preprogram the new Copilot button
Microsoft Copilot app running on a phone with Microsoft logo in background
Microsoft Copilot Voice is more human-like than ChatGPT — and it's free to all users
Microsoft Copilot app running on a phone with Microsoft logo in background
Microsoft is giving Copilot a new look — here's what we know
Latest in News
Galaxy Z Fold 6 shown in hand
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 just got these major upgrades with One UI 7
OnePlus 13
OnePlus is ditching this iconic feature — and there's serious backlash
Robert Pattinson in "Mickey 17" movie (2025)
When is ‘Mickey 17’ coming to streaming? Here’s our best guess
Horizon Forbidden West on PC
AI-powered PlayStation characters are being tested at Sony — what we know
(L-R) Will Smith as Robert Clayton Dean and Gene Hackman as Edward "Brill" Lyle in "Enemy of the State"
Prime Video’s top 10 has just been crashed by a ‘90s action-thriller with Will Smith — now's the perfect time to stream it
iOS 19 logo on an iPhone
iOS 19 could give your iPhone a whole new Vision Pro-inspired look