Cortana comes to Skype
Android and iOS users in the US can now access Microsoft's artificial intelligence assistant Cortana via Skype. Although it doesn't have voice or video functionality, Cortana will appear as a permanent contact on Skype users' lists, and will answer queries with images, as well as offering suggested replies to broader queries. The addition of Cortana follows Skype's redesign for iOS and Android devices in June, which included giving it access to third-party chatbots.

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AI assistant Cortana is now available on Skype, Microsoft announced today. Cortana on Skype can chat either one-on-one, like you would with any friend, or be summoned into conversations to handle tasks like scheduling events, finding nearby restaurants, or sharing IMDB movie reviews. Cortana for Skype will begin to roll out today for iOS and Android users in the United States, according to a blog post.

Cortana will now appear as a permanent contact in every Skype user’s contact list. When chatting one-on-one, Cortana can answer questions the same way she can elsewhere: Ask for things like directions or a weather forecast and Cortana will deliver answers via visual cards.

In addition to doing things like making restaurant reservations, Cortana on Skype can serve up suggested replies like “I’m doing ok” when someone asks “How are you?” or “Create reminder” when you’re making plans with friends. Reminders will then be sent to other devices you have authorized to use Cortana.

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Cortana on Skype does not yet work in voice or video calls. Also yet to come are Skype video bots, which launched in preview earlier this year.

At launch, Cortana on Skype has many features similar to the Facebook Messenger intelligent assistant M and in some ways is similar to how Google Assistant functions in the lesser known Allo chat app. In each instance, the AI assistant listens to words used in your conversation in order to anticipate the needs of a user or group of users.

The Skype announcement comes ahead of the widely expected release of the Harman Kardon Invoke this fall, a smart speaker with Cortana inside, and follows a Skype redesign that took place in June for iOS and Android devices. The redesign gave Skype the kind of stories that disappear in 24 hours now common on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as access to third-party bots.

With Cortana in Windows 10, 500 million devices have access to Cortana. About 140 million users speak with Cortana at least once a month, according to Microsoft VP Jordi Ribas.