Cortana was launched in 2014. Credit: ymgerman via Shutterstock.

Microsoft has announced that it is ending support for Cortana, its virtual assistant in Windows as the company integrates artificial intelligence (AI) into its offerings.

The Windows maker said: “Starting in late 2023, we will no longer support Cortana in Windows as a standalone app. However, you can still access powerful productivity features in Windows and Edge, which have increased AI capabilities.”

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The move will only impact Cortana in Windows, but it will still be available in other apps such as Outlook mobile, Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams display, and Microsoft Teams rooms.

Cortana was initially launched in 2014 to serve as a virtual assistant for both Windows and smartphones.

The feature aimed to help Microsoft compete with Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant but failed to grab users’ attention as its rivals.

Back in 2021, Microsoft ended support for the Cortana app on both iOS and Android, according to Business Standard’s report.

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Microsoft’s announcement comes just a few days after the company said it is launching Windows Copilot, an AI assistant.

The company will start rolling out this feature for Windows 11 starting this month.

According to the company, Windows Copilot will be capable of answering simple and complex questions. It can also perform tasks such as summarising or explaining content.

Microsoft has invested billions in OpenAI, the creator of the AI chatbot ChatGPT.

As part of the strategic investment, the company is integrating AI capabilities across its products and services including its browser Edge and search engine Bing.