In this in-depth video interview [Published Jan 27, 2015] with Eric Horvitz, head of Microsoft Research, he makes the company’s commitment to AI clear by saying, “Over a quarter of all attention and resources at Microsoft Research is focused on machine intelligence/AI.“

Meet Monica

Listen as Eric affectionately describes his own private virtual assistant, Monica. “She is a very brilliant, close personal assistant that knows how to work with people and knows how to make sure my life is better and I coordinate well with my colleagues.”

Cortana? Siri? Google Now?

According to Horvitz, now that we have Cortana, Siri and Google Now setting up a competitive tournament ‘for where’s the best intelligent assistant going to come from, who has the best services, [and] the most human orientated approach to complementing people out,’ that kind of competition is going to heat up the research and investment and bring it more into the spotlight, he said.

The next, if not the last, enduring competitive battlefield among major IT companies will be artificial intelligence, Horvitz said. 

Watch this enjoyable video and learn about “situated interaction” and the “symphony of many instruments.”