Later this year, Microsoft will be pulling the plug on its Cortana digital assistant within Windows. Part of a series of Cortana cutbacks over the last few years as the company moves toward proper AI solutions and ending 8 years of Cortana’s existence within the OS. Instead, the company looks to be replacing it with Copilot.
Since Cortana was only a digital assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant, it could only do so much. Of course, Cortana didn’t really get the amount of attention from Microsoft as the alternatives got from their makers. So it didn’t quite become all it could be in comparison. Leaving it to be a subpar experience that many users ignored or even disabled.
It’s sad to see Cortana go as it was a neat idea to bridge the gaming world and Windows together like that with a great fictional character to give a face to it all with. Something the other assistants didn’t (and still don’t) have. But if it isn’t being used, it isn’t needed and it is time to move on.
The only sad part is that Microsoft could have upgraded Cortana with (or as) Bing Chat instead of going the route of replacing it with a completely new product. But Microsoft wouldn’t be Microsoft if it didn’t change its mind every few years or so.
Copilot will be integrated into Windows in the near future where it will bring a ChatGPT-like AI experience to your Windows 11 desktop (along with all of the Microsoft 365 office applications). Allowing you to access it from the taskbar to interact with the content and applications on your screen. Control Windows settings, open application, create content, ask questions, and more.
The expiration of Cortana from Windows doesn’t exactly have a date yet, so we won’t know when it will happen until closer out. It is also uncertain if Microsoft will try to charge for certain features by hiding them behind a paywall like it does many of its Office products. Hopefully, it will be competitive by keeping everything included.
Image Credit: Cortana, Halo, and Xbox are all TMs of Microsoft
