When Google introduced Allo to the world, it caught a lot of people's attention. Many were upset that Google had introduced yet another messaging application to Android while others were excited about the Google Assistant integration. It still left some worried about privacy in general, but Google promised that the data was safe and secure. Over the weekend, Microsoft announced they were doing something similar by bringing Cortana to their Skype application.
The usefulness of an AI virtual assistant in a messaging application can be hit or miss for some people, but there are a number of cues it can pick up on that can make it quite convenient. For instance, having generic yes/no responses available when you're asked a question is incredibly easy to do. Whether or not you want to reply with those generic messages is up to you, but it can be convenient for a lot of people in a number of instances.
With virtual assistants being so tightly integrated into a smartphone or tablet, it also allows for them to quickly add details to your calendar or contacts list. In Microsoft's announcement this past weekend, the company showed it can do these types of things and more. If it detects a time/date, then it can offer to set a reminder for you and if it detects a question then it will offer some suggestions for replies that you can sent with a single tap.
It can also detect places and things (such as a movie) and offer to retrieve details about those for you directly in the Skype chat window. This can be useful if you're asked to go to a movie but don't have a clue as to what the movie is about. Just like Google Assistant does in Allo, Cortana will offer a few suggestions for each trigger it detects right in Skype so you don't have to leave the chat to learn more about it. Microsoft says this new feature is starting to roll out gradually in the Skype application and seems like it is restricted to the United States for now.
Source: Skype Blog
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