Microsoft’s digital assistant launched in 2014 was Cortana. It was introduced as a voice-enabled personal assistant for Windows Phone 8.1, designed to answer questions, set reminders, manage schedules, and perform searches using Microsoft’s services.
Cortana was demonstrated at Microsoft Build in April 2014 and was named after the artificial-intelligence character in Microsoft’s Halo video-game series. Halo voice actress Jen Taylor provided Cortana’s voice in the assistant’s U.S. English version, giving the product a distinctive connection to one of Microsoft’s best-known entertainment franchises.
Cortana is often confused with Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant because all four are voice assistants. Siri belongs to Apple, Alexa to Amazon, and Google Assistant to Google. Microsoft later shifted Cortana away from being a broad consumer assistant, and its standalone Windows app was discontinued in 2023.