Microsoft has ended Windows support for its digital assistant Cortana to refocus on its next-gen AI systems, including Copilot.
The move illustrates Microsoft's commitment to integrating more powerful AI-powered productivity tools across its suites, with Cortana something of an early draft or stepping stone towards the GPT-4 future. These tools include the marquee AI solution for Windows 11 and Microsoft 365, Copilot, and the newly AI-driven Bing Chat and voice access in Windows 11.
A Microsoft statement released on the Microsoft store wrote:
We are making some changes to Windows that will impact users of the Cortana app. Starting in August 2023, we will no longer support Cortana in Windows as a standalone app. However, you can still access powerful productivity features in Windows and Edge, which have increased AI capabilities. This means you can still get help with your tasks, calendar, and email, but in new and exciting ways."
Although expected to be discontinued on all Windows 11 devices in the near future, Cortana will (for now) still be available in Outlook mobile, Teams mobile, Teams display, and Teams Rooms.
What AI-Powered 'New and Exciting Ways' Does Microsoft Mean?
While Copilot for Windows 11 and Microsoft's 365 enterprise packages are naturally the headline AI solutions, Microsoft also has several other compelling products.
Voice access for Windows 11 is an intriguing new service for Windows 11, enabling users to control their PC and draft text using their voice Users can give voice commands to open and switch between apps, search the web, and read and write emails. Voice access can even work offline and leverages advanced speech recognition to comprehend users' speech to boost productivity.
In March, Microsoft announced it had integrated ChatGPT technology into Bing and Edge. The vendor designed the platforms to produce better search results, more complete answers, a new chat experience, and the ability to generate content. Microsoft is suggesting Bing's new AI-powered feature set as an upgrade to Cortana's capabilities.
"The new AI-powered Bing lets you ask complex questions and get concise answers from reliable sources on the web," the Microsoft release wrote. "You can type or speak your questions, and Bing Chat will give you a succinct answer citing multiple trusted sources."
At last month's Microsoft Inspire, Bing Chat Enterprise was announced. Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, and Jared Spataro, CVP Modern Work & Business Applications, described the offering: "Bing Chat Enterprise gives your organization AI-powered chat for work with commercial data protection. With Bing Chat Enterprise, user and business data are protected and will not leak outside the organization."
The Copilot Momentum Keeps on Building
This Cortana announcement follows a busy month as Microsoft prepares for Copilot's launch later this year.
