The PC market is stagnating, Microsoft is switching to AI

The latest statistics from Gartner look very distressing for PC makers and software vendors, especially for the world's largest IT company, Microsoft. According to analysts, this year will be the worst for the computer market in its history: sales of computers will fall by 11.8%, including desktops - by 31.9%. Of course, the netbook market continues to grow, but for the same Microsoft this is a poor consolation. Not surprisingly, the company is starting to explore new profit opportunities.



The NY Times writes about the latest Microsoft research and development projects. Among them is the applied application of Artificial Intelligence, a personal assistant who “lives” on a computer, recognizes speech and understands voice orders (see photo). According to the developers, Laura (that is the name of the virtual avatar) is more than just a voice terminal, it is able to continuously learn. For several years, between the helper and the "owner" unique nuances of relationships are formed, they understand each other literally from a half-word.