Some companies see competition in the same field as an adversary that needs to be eliminated in the most cutthroat way, and others see it as a potential for synergistic growth. That latter approach seems to be the philosophy Microsoft and Amazon are taking when it comes to voice assistants. The two companies have just announced that their two brainchildren will be able to talk to each other by the end of the year.

Well, not exactly talk, talk, because that would be creepy if Alexa and Cortana started chit-chatting together without any human input (although at the rate we're going, that doesn't seem to be too far a possibility), but they will be able to call upon each other when asked nicely. You can say, "Alexa, open Cortana," to your Echo devices, or, "Cortana, open Alexa," to your Windows devices. I'm sure the two gals will be happy to share you and your attention. Nothing can go wrong there...

On a more serious note, I do applaud this kind of collaboration. It shows us that both companies recognize each other's strengths and the fact that people don't own one type of device and aren't committed to one ecosystem, which has so far created a huge fragmentation and confusion between what every assistant can do and how you have to phrase requests for it to understand. I hope this move will encourage Google to do the same. Maybe one day, you could ask your Google Home Assistant to talk to your Google Pixel Assistant so you can set reminders. (Oh snap!) I hear the two are as close as twins, but not on talking terms.

PRESS RELEASE