News: Microsoft Acquires Semantic Machines
Why is this important?
It’s becoming more common to interact with our devices and applications using natural speech patterns. This could be done by speaking out loud (voice) or typing (chat). However, most of today’s interactions are simple command and response. We ask our phone what the weather is like, dictate a text message, or ask an Amazon Echo to play a song or set a reminder. While these interactions are useful, for similar interactions with business applications to be truly valuable, we need to be able to have multi-step conversations. Imagine asking your CRM system a question and having it first reply with a high-level answer, but then ask you for more details in order to provide you a more detailed response. Imagine your calendaring and scheduling system not just looking for free-time to book a meeting, but also asking if it could forward the attendees the required documents before the meeting begins. These types of actions with “chatbots” or “digital assistants” are going to play a key role in the Future of Work.
This is not Microsoft's first foray into conversational chatbots. In addition to Cortana, Microsoft has many other chatbots / digital assistants, including the very popular Xiaoice (on Weibo) and Zo on Kix.
The acquisition of Semantic Machines is not only for the technology, but also the people that work there. The staff they've acquired include people that worked on products like Apple Siri, Google Assistant, and Dragon Natural Speaking. This helps Microsoft compete against Google (who recently showcased Google Assistant having a bi-directional conversation), Amazon, Facebook, Apple, IBM, Samsung and others working on artificial intelligence and conversational user experiences.
What Does This Mean For Microsoft Customers?
Microsoft has several areas where they could leverage conversational UI, from Windows and Cortana, to Xbox, Office 365, Surface Hubs and more.