Microsoft's Cortana can now schedule meetings for you automatically

Scheduling meetings takes a lot of back and forth between parties to figure out an appropriate time when everyone is available. Microsoft added capabilities to Cortana to allow the AI to automatically handle the back and forth communication it takes to schedule a meeting. Users just have to add Cortana to the CC line of their emails to initiate the automatic scheduling.

Cortana picks up natural language cues from the communications, including the time frame, location and channel for the meeting. These cues can be included in the email, or configured as presets. Cortana then looks into your calendar to identify probable meeting times, and initiates conversations with the attendees. As and when attendees reply with the times that they are available, Cortana keeps taking the conversation forward till a convenient time for everyone is found. Cortana handles the mails required to set up the meeting, in natural language, as if there were a human assistant at work for you.

Users can sign up for a the service here . The service is initially available as beta testing for those interested in improving the service. To ensure that the service is delivered smoothly, Microsoft will be using both artificial intelligence, as well as human agents. Google Calendar had added the “Find a Time” feature into Android in April, that offers similar functionality. The service goes through everyone’s Google Calendars, at a single tap, to identify timings that are suitable to everyone attending a meeting.