The AI video game character that influenced an industry

The current wave of virtual assistants owes a lot to a sidekick from one of the most popular video games of all time. The release of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001 introduced Master Chief's AI partner Cortana, popularizing a lot of the common characteristics that are now shared by real-world AI helpers. Cortana was a friendly, helpful female voice in your ear, one who blurred the line between companion and digital tool. She sounded an awful lot like Siri -- and she did it a decade before virtual assistants became indispensable features of our smartphones and homes. Halo didn't invent the concept of an AI helper.