Cortana AI system to appear in household devices this year

Cortana, the digital assistant associated with Windows 10, will be applied to fridges, toasters, and thermostats later this year through third-party companies. Microsoft will allow several Internet of Things devices to access Cortana with the Windows 10 Creators Update. The update, due out in March, is expected to let users apply the art of 3D to their creative ideas. As for the Cortana software, its presence in household items will display the technology’s potential at its fullest.

“This will enable you to build devices with displays, so you get that immersive Cortana experience,” Microsoft program manager Carla Forester said.

The upcoming technology will also incorporate the Creators Update’s far-field speech communications and wake-on-voice ability, meaning that devices can hear users’ commands from across the room. The far-field voice feature even allows for the Cortana-supplied devices to interpret requests from a range of approximately four meters.

One of the major benefits of using more of these smart devices at home is that it would preserve device power, as they would only turn on when a user commands them to through voice. Microsoft has also discussed improving biometrics to enhance security in these kinds of devices.

While working on Cortana-specific products isn’t Microsoft’s sole focus, studying how to create these bridges to Cortana in the home will be an essential task for the company this year. To do so, Microsoft has been outlining software guidelines to various hardware makers, who will ensure the preparation of devices with screens. Choosing to incorporate third-parties in the widespread release of Cortana could even be seen as fighting against competition from Amazon and Google.

Progress on the spread of Cortana won’t be evident until later in the year, but the project is definitely one to keep an eye on in 2017.

Sources: The Verge, Microsoft, Tech Radar, CNBC, Mac Rumors