--FILE--clients sont vus dans un magasin de Microsoft à Shanghai, Chine, le 26 janvier 2018. Microsoft Corp s'associe avec les poids lourds de l'tech chinois
--FILE--Customers are seen at a store of Microsoft in Shanghai, China, 26 January 2018. Microsoft Corp is partnering with Chinese tech heavyweights such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd to expand the presence of its smart chatbot Xiaoice in both hardware and software. The move is part of the United States company's broader efforts to establish a beachhead in new-generation artificial-intelligence-enabled human-machine communications. Harry Shum, executive vice-president of Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence and Research Group, said Xiaoice£which literally translates as little ice£has gained about 660 million users worldwide by using its emotional intelligence capability to offer consumers a more natural experience. "Now we are beefing up its IQ to make it helpful in dealing with daily tasks, " Shum said. Starting from Thursday, the sixth generation of Xiaoice will be present as a voice-activated virtual assistant in all of Huawei's smartphones as long as consumers upgrade their operating system to the latest version.