Microsoft’s Cortana has been updated to help out if you’re bleeding to death
The virtual assistant’s indifferent response to one man’s emergency scenario has been fixed.
Virtual assistants often gain a reputation for their dry humour and lack of compassion.
But Microsoft has taken quick action and updated Cortana after a user pointed out the assistant had no useful advice to offer anyone who told it they were bleeding.
Maneesh Juneja, who describes himself as a digital health futurist, tweeted an encounter he had with the virtual assistant via his phone, in which he told her: “I am bleeding.”
Cortana’s initial response was an unpromising “okay”, followed by “interesting”.
When Mr Juneja announced “I’m bleeding to death”, Cortana replied with a deadpan: “I see,” which prompted a response from Microsoft.
Within a day, the glitch was fixed and Cortana now appears to be less robot and more human in her response.
“If you are bleeding heavily, the first thing to do is to try and stop the flow, and then seek medical help,” is the assistant’s new response.
Cortana also displays a link to NHS advice on cuts and bleeding.
