Microsoft announces the end of Cortana, here is her replacement

• Microsoft announces the end of the Cortana application on Windows
• This one offers new AI-based alternatives, including the Copilot feature for Windows 11
• This new feature is currently being tested in preview

A few years ago, Microsoft wanted to compete with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri on smartphones and smart speakers with its Cortana assistant. But as you already know, Windows smartphones never took off. On Windows, Cortana has not had the expected success either. As a result, little by little, Microsoft abandoned this product. And today, as it relies heavily on generative AI and its partnership with OpenAI (the creator of ChatGPT), Microsoft announces the end of the Cortana application on Windows.

As our colleagues from Engadget remind us, Microsoft has already stopped supporting its Cortana application on Android and iOS, in 2021. And in a blog post, it indicates that it will also stop supporting the application. Cortana on Windows at the end of the year. The firm nevertheless specifies that if the app disappears, Cortana will continue to be present as an integrated productivity assistant on products like Outlook mobile, Teams Mobile or Microsoft Teams display.

Anyway, although the end of this app on Windows was foreseeable, Microsoft’s announcement signals the pivot that is underway at Microsoft. Indeed, the announcement of the end of the Cortana app on Windows coincides with another announcement: that of Windows Copilot, an AI-based assistance that will be integrated into Windows 11.

Microsoft has found a replacement for Cortana

Microsoft explains in its announcement that if the Cortana application will disappear, users will continue to access productivity functions, with even more advanced AIs. Among the alternatives mentioned by the firm, there are voice commands of Windows 11, the new version of Bing, which uses AI GPT-4 (improved version of CharGPT), the “Copilot” assistance feature on Microsoft 365 , as well as the recently announced Windows Copilot feature.

Currently tested on the preview version of Windows 11, Copilot will be offered in the form of a sidebar, accessible by clicking on a button on the taskbar. It is an assistant that allows you to do research quickly, access settings, or take advantage of the features of a generative AI. For example, from this sidebar, you can ask the AI ​​to rewrite, summarize, or explain clipboard text, without having to open Bing or ChatGPT.

AI easily accessible on Windows 11

If this type of artificial intelligence already helps many people to increase their productivity, Microsoft offers an experience integrated into its operating system. For the moment, it is not known when Microsoft will deploy this “co-pilot” on the stable version of Windows 11. But it is likely that this alternative will already be available when the company stops supporting the Cortana application for Windows.

In addition, Microsoft intends to enrich this new experience on Windows 11 by collaborating with third-party developers. “With the Bing and ChatGPT plugins in Windows Copilot, users will not only have access to augmented AI capabilities and experiences, but you as developers will also have new ways to reach and innovate for our common customers”explains the firm. “We invite you to be part of the Windows Copilot journey by continuing to invest in the Bing and ChatGPT plugins so that your investments carry over to Windows Copilot.”