Microsoft, Amazon tie assistants Cortana, Alexa

Amazon.com and Microsoft have officially set up the friendship between their two voice assistants, Alexa and Cortana, a year after announcing the partnership to expand the reach and abilities of the competing assistants.

But how does this relationship of rivals work? To talk to one assistant through the other, customers have to say either “Cortana, open Alexa” or “Alexa, open Cortana.” From there, people can talk to the other assistant as usual.

What they don’t get is access to each others’ data, according to statements from both companies Wednesday.

Data collected from each assistant will be controlled by their respective companies — and covered by their corresponding privacy policies. In essence, they’ll refer users to one another rather than sharing their duties.

“No raw data will be shared between companies,” Microsoft said. “Once you open Cortana, all voice data goes to Microsoft not Amazon, and once you open Alexa, all voice data goes to Amazon and not Microsoft.”

Amazon said much the same thing in a separate statement to The Washington Post, specifically clarifying that neither company holds on to the others’ voice data either. (Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos is The Post’s owner.)

“While you’re speaking with Cortana, Alexa streams your voice recording directly to Cortana and returns Cortana’s response to you. Alexa does not retain your voice interactions with Cortana, and Microsoft processes the information in pursuance with its Privacy Policy. The same is true when you enable Alexa through Cortana.”

The integration shores up the weak points of each assistant.

The partnership links two assistants that have complementary strengths, said analyst Werner Goertz of Gartner. Amazon, through Alexa, is the clear leader in the smart speaker market and has an extensive understanding of the way people shop and use their appliances around the house.

With 44 percent of the smart speaker market, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics, it has courted developers to make thousands of skills for its platform.

Microsoft’s Cortana has a negligible reach through speakers, but is a part of Windows 10 and has deep integration with Office software used at the workplace.

The integration is available through Echo devices, Windows 10 devices and Microsoft’s Harman Kardon Cortana speaker.

Someone with an Alexa-enabled speaker, for example, has the option to open Cortana and check for new emails or set appointments for their calendar. It’s also possible to ask Alexa to flip on your lights or check your order status through your PC.

More integration is coming down the line, Amazon said in a blog post.

Certain features such as streaming music, listening to audio books or hearing Alexa’s flash briefing “will not be available immediately,” the company said.

Both companies have said the integration will be limited at first. It is only live in the United States, and in English.

CONTRIBUTED Alexa and Cortana, Amazon’s and Microsoft’s digital assistants, will now work on each other’s devices by letting one assistant summon the other, the companies said.