Kiss Goodbye to Privacy: Microsoft Introduces Cortana for Skype

[grimm]

Now you can “enjoy” the ultimate AI experience since Microsoft has added the Windows 10 virtual assistant software into Skype for iOS and Android. It is called Cortana Assistant, and it will scan conversations on Skype for answers, setting of reminders and search for restaurants and movie reviews on your behalf. It will also reply to messages with witty lines.

According to Skype’s team, users have been facing issues during conversations on Skype, such as, they had to search for information after interrupting their ongoing conversations, which was quite irritating. Switching between apps after pausing the conversation (even though briefly) to look for answers made communicating through Skype a bit dragging too. This is why the team decided to provide personal assistant AI software to make life easier for its users. As the team wrote:

“Shouldn’t technology make our lives easier and truly bring the answers we need to our fingertips?”

And this is what Cortana promises; users will only have to type the query, and without switching the app, the answer will be provided through Cortana. However, the personal assistant is available for text conversations as of now, and it is not enabled for audio/video calls. If you want to talk to Cortana, you can do so through the microphone.

There is a catch though; Cortana will be intervening in your conversations as well to offer suggestions. If the user finds a suggestion unhelpful, he/she can provide feedback to Microsoft.

There is a drawback associated with involvement of Cortana in your Skype conversations, which is that after being added to Skype, it will be virtually impossible to delete it from your contact list. Another aspect is that to provide answers, Cortana would need access to observe all conversations, even most private ones. If privacy is a concern for you, then you must think twice before enabling Cortana on Skype, especially if you use Skype for professional purposes and discuss confidential information on conversations.

The good side is that it requires the permission of the user to access chat messages and location and won’t add anything to your chat sessions. If you are planning to go out, it will help you in finding the right club, or if you need some information, it will instantly provide you. Moreover, you can always disable the unwanted features of Cortana.

Cortana feature is currently available for the US-based Skype users only, and the team plans to expand it to other parts of the globe gradually.