Microsoft is shutting down its digital assistant app Cortana this month, having now put extra of its concentrate on modern-day AI advances, like its ChatGPT-like Bing Chat and different AI-powered productiveness options throughout Home windows and its net browser Edge. A support page confirms the top of Cortana as a standalone app in Home windows, beginning in August 2023.
The corporate additionally confirmed to TechCrunch the web page was first printed earlier in June, however declined to share extra of its considering on the matter past what was referenced on the web page itself.
Nevertheless, studying between the strains from the explanation supplied, it seems that Microsoft sees Cortana as one thing that was a stepping stone towards this new AI future, the place customers will as a substitute depend on a better chatbot operating GPT-4, powered because of Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI. The corporate additionally introduced in Could that it might construct this new ChatGPT-based Bing expertise proper into Home windows 11.
Within the meantime, Home windows customers might be in a transitional interval the place Cortana will nonetheless be round in some type, although the standalone Home windows app will not be supported. For now, nevertheless, Cortana will proceed to be obtainable in Outlook cellular, Groups cellular, Microsoft Groups show and Microsoft Groups rooms, the corporate notes.
These Cortana-powered experiences might not be lengthy for this world both, as Microsoft has already detailed its plans to carry Bing Chat to the enterprise, the place Microsoft 365 Copilot might be integrated into its productiveness software program, plus Outlook, Groups and extra.
“We all know that this variation could have an effect on a number of the methods you’re employed in Home windows, so we need to allow you to transition easily to the brand new choices,” Microsoft explains on the help web page. “As an alternative of clicking the Cortana icon and launching the app to start utilizing voice, now you should use voice and fulfill your productiveness wants by means of completely different instruments.”
The corporate then factors customers to Cortana options like Home windows 11 voice entry, which lets customers management their PC with voice instructions, the brand new AI-powered Bing, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Home windows Copilot, which presents centralized AI help for Home windows customers.
The web site Windows Latest (not affiliated with Microsoft) was the primary to report on the Cortana app’s shutdown, having seen that the most recent replace for the Cortana Home windows app brought on the app to cease working. Upon launching the app, a message knowledgeable customers that “Cortana in Home windows as a standalone app is deprecated” and pointed to the help web page by means of a “Be taught Extra” button.
Picture Credit: Home windows Newest
Microsoft’s shift to Bing Chat from its first-gen assistant Cortana could also be later mirrored by different Massive Tech corporations.
This week, The Information reported, for instance, that Amazon promoted its head scientist for Alexa, Rohit Prasad, to run a group growing synthetic normal intelligence. That indicators that Amazon, too, could also be desirous about how Alexa might evolve into one thing extra succesful than the digital assistant it’s at the moment. Apple has additionally been growing its personal generative AI instruments, Bloomberg reported, however hasn’t but determined how they might be launched to clients.