Marcus Ash, partner group program manager revealed the updated capabilities of Cortana in a blog post. He said, "Now Cortana can help you remember things you've said you would do in your e-mails - without you even having to ask. Cortana is designed to automatically recognize when you make a commitment in e-mail messages and will proactively suggest a reminder to you to follow through at just the right time."
The update to Cortana, Microsoft's digital virtual assistant which is infused with AI - enables it to recognize and make note when individuals promise people via messages that they will complete tasks. But as Ash points out, in a society where we bombarded with e-mails and tasks, it can be easy to forgot about some, and inevitably fall through the net.
Ash added, "We've all been in the situation where we've promised to do something in email, like send your boss a report by end of day, or purchase tickets to the movies for your date night. But the day goes on, emails pile up, and you quickly forget - now Cortana has your back."
In order to avail of this technology you will need to register with Cortana and allow it access to look through your e-mails, Microsoft are part of a group of tech leaders including Google, Amazon, Apple and Samsung who are all investing in an attempt to develop a sophisticated connected assistant.
At CES 2017, in Las Vegas, Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa proved to be a big hit, and was one of the major winners at the event - appearing in TV's, cars and fridges.
Artificial intelligence is getting a foothold in people's homes, with personal assistants answering questions and controlling connected devices such as appliances or light bulbs. Digital assistants already boast features such as reminding people of appointments entered into calendars and chiming in with advice to set out early if traffic is challenging.