Microsoft has just announced new Software Developer Kits (SDKs) for its Cortana virtual assistant, allowing developers to create new Cortana skills, as well as to integrate it into smart devices.
Check out the video below for a look at some of the skills Microsoft’s Cortana can offer when incorporated into a smart device.
Among the first companies to take advantage of the SDK is audio company Harman Kardon, which will release its new Amazon Echo-style wireless speaker in early 2017.
As Microsoft notes:
“The Cortana Skills Kit will allow developers to leverage bots created with the Microsoft Bot Framework and publish them to Cortana as a new skill, to integrate their web services as skills and to repurpose code from their existing Alexa skills to create Cortana skills. It will connect users to skills when users ask, and proactively present skills to users in the appropriate context. And it will help developers personalize their experiences by leveraging Cortana’s understanding of users’ preferences and context, based on user permissions.”
Arriving for the majority of developers in February 2017 (a few partners already have access to it), Cortana Skills Kit represents a move on Microsoft’s part to increase the use of its virtual assistant. Microsoft Cortana made its debut on iOS this time last year, following its beta run. The digital assistant had previously been limited to Windows Phone and Windows 10.
As virtual assistants continue to move beyond our mobile devices and into Amazon Echo-style smart devices, the battle to establish a standard AI assistant will only increase. Apple announced a SiriKit SDK last year to open up its own virtual assistant for software developers.
It’s good to see Microsoft join the rest of the pack!
Have you used Cortana previously? If so, how do you rate it? Leave your comments below.
