Microsoft's Build 2016 Kicks Off; HoloLens, Windows 10 Update, AI Bots Announced During Keynote

By Jackie Villegas, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, March 31, 2016

Microsoft unveiled the latest about its products, services, and ongoing projects during its much-anticipated keynote speech for Build 2016 on Wednesday, March 30, in San Francisco.

The slew of announcements from the tech giant included those about Windows 10, Xbox One, HoloLens, Cortana, and some big news about what Microsoft executives believe will be the next apps.

During the keynote speech, it was announced that the developer edition of the company's HoloLens is currently being shipped out. Though the device is too expensive for regular consumers, releasing the holographic headset to developers is a major milestone for the company. The HoloLens app, as well as the source code, are also being made available for developers to study and build from.

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Microsoft also announced that a major Windows 10 update will be released in the summer. Dubbed the "Anniversary Update," the free Windows 10 update will support biometric authentication, add Windows Ink, and an improved Cortana.

But the biggest news from the Build 2016 keynote was undoubtedly Microsoft's work on bots. Satya Nadella, Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer, said that chat interfaces will soon be the next apps and that conversation will be the next big computing platform. Intelligent or AI bots that a user can communicate with and that provide services based on the user's words will reportedly be the next big thing.

As such, the company has launched a set of new developer tools to enable developers to work on their own chatbots.

"We're really excited about the new opportunities and new frontiers," Nadella said, as quoted by CNET. "We want all developers to infuse intelligence into their applications."

During his speech, Nadella acknowledged Microsoft's latest gaffe: the launching of Tay, the social chatbot it unveiled on Twitter, which quickly became racist.

"We want to build technology so it gets the best of humanity, not the worst," Nadella explained. "We quickly realized it was not up to this mark. So we're back to the drawing board."