Cortana is Windows Phone’s voice recognition assistant

Cortana, the AI co-star of the Halo series, is likely be to Microsoft’s answer to Siri and Google Now, following a brief appearance in a leaked video.

The YouTube video (below), published yesterday by UnleashthePhones.com, shows a user booting up an app marked ‘Cortana’ on a Windows Phone.

The initial setup, which starts with the message “Hi there, I’m Cortana”, requires a Microsoft account and displays a number of example questions.

No voice commands are issued to the incoming personal assistant in the video.

Recent leaks of Windows Phone’s 8.1 update indicated that Cortana will be able to display results for the weather, stocks and shares. You will also be able to ask her to perform tasks, such as waking you at as specific time or finding places using Bing location data.

Cortana is expected to be included in the Windows Phone 8.1 update in late March or early April.

It is also possible the service may be integrated into Windows and Microsoft’s Xbox One as part of Microsoft’s unifying search and Bing.