Microsoft Once Again Distances Cortana AI Assistant From Windows 10

cortana
When Microsoft launched the Windows 10 May 2019 Update last month to the public, one of the big changes came with how the Cortana virtual assistant is presented to the user. Previously, Cortana and Search were fused together in the taskbar. However, the May 2019 Update separated the two so that they could be further developed independent of one another.

Now, the latest move from Microsoft means even bigger changes for Cortana. A new Cortana app -- in beta form -- has been discovered in the Microsoft Store. With this further decoupling of Cortana, the general consensus is that Windows 10 might not even have Cortana installed by default. If users want access to the Cortana, they will likely have to download it separately.

For Windows 10 users that want absolutely nothing to do with Cortana, this might be seen as a boon to have the app as a separate, optional download.

Microsoft has big plans in store for Cortana, as the company recently announced that it is making huge strides in making interactions with the virtual assistant seem less robotic. This will enable users to have back-and-forth conversations with Cortana that more resemble a conversation you might have with another human.

“Being able to express ourselves in the way we have evolved to communicate and to be able to tie that into all of these really complicated systems without having to know how they work is the promise and vision of natural language interfaces,” said Microsoft corporate vice president Dan Roth in May.

Cortana is available on multiple platforms including Android and iOS, and has even found its way into thermostats.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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