In a move to enhance their respective AI voice technologies and counter rivals like Apple and Google, Microsoft and Amazon have decided to collaborate. This partnership was announced on Wednesday, with Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos tweeting: “Alexa just made a new friend.†CNBC reported that under this agreement, the voice assistants from both companies will be able to trigger each other's functionalities. Amazon Alexa users will now be able to access certain exclusive features of Microsoft Cortana, including managing work schedules and reading professional emails. Conversely, Cortana users will gain the ability to use Alexa for shopping on Amazon.com and controlling smart home devices.
At the press conference, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella emphasized the significance of this collaboration, stating: “It is crucial for our users to have access to Cortana across any device, anytime and anywhere. Integrating Cortana’s knowledge, Office 365 synchronization, and reminders into Alexa marks a significant advancement towards this objective.â€
Bezos added: “In the future, multiple intelligent assistants will likely coexist, each excelling in distinct areas and utilizing different datasets. By combining these strengths, we can provide users with a more enriched and beneficial experience. For Echo users, seamless access to Cortana is a positive development.â€
The image accompanying this article shows the integration between Alexa and Cortana, with the caption “Alexa just made a new friend.â€
Back in May 2015, Microsoft launched the Cortana app with the aim of enabling users to engage with it intelligently, moving beyond simple question-and-answer interactions. Cortana records user behaviors and habits, leveraging cloud computing, search engines, and unstructured data analysis to interpret texts, emails, photos, videos, and other mobile data to better understand user intent.
Amazon’s Alexa, introduced in November 2014 alongside the Echo smart speaker, opened up development to third parties in 2015, rapidly expanding its capabilities. This year, Amazon revealed that Alexa surpassed 10,000 skills. Currently, Cortana boasts 145 million monthly active users, while Alexa-equipped Echo speakers dominate the smart speaker market. With this collaboration, both voice assistants become even more robust, posing a stronger challenge to Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant.
Despite this partnership, both companies remain cautious about sharing certain data. Sources from Business Insider noted that if Cortana were invoked on an Echo Dot, users might need to switch back to Alexa to utilize Amazon Prime Music services. Microsoft is aware of its users’ shopping preferences, and similarly, Amazon refrains from accessing certain sensitive data held by Microsoft.
Accompanying this article is another image showcasing Amazon’s Echo smart speaker equipped with Alexa, further emphasizing the growing synergy between these two tech giants.
This collaboration represents a strategic shift in how major players in the tech industry approach competition and innovation, signaling a potential redefinition of how consumers interact with AI voice assistants in the future.
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