The May 2020 update has arrived, and one noticeable change is Microsoft Cortana. If you were used to asking the virtual assistant questions, it may be time to switch to another assistant. Microsoft's decided to revamp Cortana into a productivity tool, eliminating many of the features you might have been used to. The big question – is Cortana still worth using for the average user? Even though some users absolutely love Microsoft Cortana, she never really caught on quite like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. Instead of investing more time and money into trying to compete, Microsoft made the choice to turn Cortana into a system application versus the whole system integration the assistant once had.

Virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa, Microsoft Cortana, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri employ conversational experiences and language-understanding technologies to help users accomplish a range of tasks, from reminder creation to home automation. Voice is the primary means of engagement, and voice-activated assistants are growing in popularity; estimates as of June 2017 put the number of monthly active users of voice-based assistant devices in the U.S. at 36 million.a Many are "headless" devices that lack displays. Smart speakers (such as Amazon Echo and Google Home) are among the most popular devices in this category. Speakers are tethered to one location, but there are other settings where voice-activated assistants can be helpful, including automobiles (such as for suggesting convenient locations to help with pending tasks5) and personal audio (such as for providing private notifications and suggestions18).

LAS VEGAS--Complexity is the enemy of security, but prompt patching is its strongest ally. Security professionals have made those points for years, but two presentations at the Black Hat USA conference here provided fresh arguments for them--and signs companies are getting snappier at fixing vulnerabilities. What that means for you: When your computer, phone or tablet says it has an update available, install it. Don't wait to benefit from the tighter focus of an Apple, Google or Microsoft on security issues. Support for that came in one Black Hat briefing covering a "vuln" in Apple's device-management system that lets organizations configure Macs from afar.

Chatbots and voice assistants powered by artificial intelligence are starting to gain traction in the workplace of large organisations, according to a report from tech firm Spiceworks. The report, based on a survey of 500 IT professionals in organisations across North America and Europe, found that within the next 12 months, 40 percent of large businesses – those with more than 500 employees – expect to implement one or more intelligent assistants or AI chatbots on company-owned devices, compared to 25 percent of mid-size companies and 27 percent of small businesses. The findings indicate that although adoption is on the rise, some organisations are holding back due to a lack of use cases in the workplace and privacy concerns. Across all company sizes, Microsoft Cortana is the most commonly used intelligent assistant in the workplace, likely due to its native integration into Windows 10. Among organisations that have implemented intelligent assistants or chatbots on company-owned devices and services, the results show 49 percent are currently using Microsoft Cortana for work-related tasks, followed closely by Apple Siri at 47 percent.

"Of all the questions you could have asked…" That's how Microsoft Cortana, the digital assistant and female voice inside the new $199 Invoke voice-activated speaker from Harman Kardon, responded when I asked what she thought of Amazon Echo, the rival speaker it will inevitably draw comparisons to. It was Echo and its own chatty artificial intelligence-infused assistant Alexa, after all, that started what is rapidly becoming an increasingly crowded market for such intelligent cloud-connected speakers. The speakers let you use your voice to set alarms and timers, turn on lights, list appointments, deliver the news and play music. More: Google Home, Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod -- or all 3? How to choose a smart speaker Google's been expanding its lineup of Google Home speakers with the Google Assistant. Apple is readying a HomePod speaker with Siri for a December release.

Never mind," I cursed, looking down on the poorly formed monstrosity that gazed back at me with a singular pulsing eye. This was not my trusty Google Assistant, with whom I shared a deep logistical and day-planning-based bond. This thing barely looked like the AI to which I was accustomed and -- even then -- only in passing. This alien program appears to have eaten my digital assistant and started wearing its skin -- and I'm about to spend the next week having it organize my life. "Cortana" came to reside in my Nexus 6P via a Google Play Store download, but it soon took over nearly all of the system's support functions.

Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana and artificial intelligence technology from other developers often serves up responses and content without a perceived reason. Shouldn't users have the ability to ask the AI why? In an interview with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at the recent Internet Association's annual gala in Washington, D.C., Michael Beckerman, president and CEO of the Internet Association, asked him to explain Amazon's approach to artificial intelligence. "It is a renaissance -- it is a golden age," Bezos said. "We are now solving problems with machine learning and artificial intelligence that were in the realm of science fiction for the last several decades."

You will very soon be able to use Microsoft's Cortana voice assistant with the Raspberry Pi 3 and make cool devices that can accept voice commands. But for that, you'll need to upgrade the popular developer board, which can run Windows 10 IoT Core, to the Creators Update of the OS. You'll be able to use Cortana on Raspberry Pi similar to the way it works on PCs. You'll be able to ask for weather, time, traffic, or stock prices. Users will also able to build smart devices using Raspberry Pi 3 that will be able to accept Cortana's commands.

Many of you are old enough to recall the Personal Computer OS "war" of the late 80's and early 90's. I can clearly remember being pressured by my boss to make a choice between IBM OS/2 and Microsoft Windows. I chose the wrong one. Then came the browser war, followed by the smartphone war. The next technology war on the horizon is shaping up to be consumer artificial intelligence (AI) devices like Amazon Echo, Google Home, Microsoft Cortana and Apple Siri.

With the constant barrage of emails, your promises to do one thing or another can get lost in the shuffle. You may already use Windows 10's digital assistant to set reminders for yourself, but now Cortana will take a more proactive approach to preventing things from slipping from your to-do list and through the cracks. Microsoft announced on Thursday that Cortana can now scan your emails for promises you made and remind you before they're due. To make these "suggested reminders," Cortana uses machine learning to recognize promises you've made that have a date attached to them. If you want Cortana to scan your emails, the assistant will help you keep up your appointments.