Microsoft is shifting its focus from the virtual assistant Cortana to the AI-powered Bing search engine. In a support document, the company announced that it will no longer support Cortana as a standalone app on Windows starting in late 2023. However, users can still access powerful productivity features in Windows and Edge, which now incorporate ChatGPT-powered Bing.

Cortana, initially introduced in 2014 to compete against Siri and the Google Assistant, lost support on iOS and Android in 2020 due to waning interest in digital assistants. Microsoft is now leveraging OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology for its new Copilot system, designed to provide answers and assistance in Windows and Microsoft 365.

While Cortana will still be available through the mobile app for Outlook and in Microsoft Teams, it’s clear that its days as a standalone virtual assistant are numbered. Microsoft is encouraging users to explore alternative options, such as Voice access in Windows 11, Bing Chat, and Copilot, to transition smoothly to the new offerings.