Microsoft follows Tay chatbot with fresh bot projects for Cortana and Skype

Instead, it is doing just the opposite: the Windows maker announced the Bot Framework, a tool to assist developers in creating their own chat bots, at its Build developer conference in San Francisco. Microsoft has released its BotBuilder software development kit (SDK) on GitHub under an open source MIT licence. The kit will enable developers to add chat bots to different applications, including widely used communication apps like Slack. Microsoft's own developers are using the tool to integrate its virtual assistant Cortana with Skype, as well as launching a dedicated bot platform for the video calling service. Cortana will reportedly be able to actively search for relevant words and phrases and draw more detail from Bing, help users manage their calendar and make suggestions for people Skype users should get in touch with.