Microsoft Mapping Course to a Jetsons-Style Future

As personal computer sales stagnate, Microsoft and its longtime partner, Intel, are looking to diversify into sophisticated artificial intelligence products.Meet Laura, the virtual personal assistant for those of us who cannot afford a human one.Built by researchers at Microsoft, Laura appears as a talking head on a screen. You can speak to her and ask her to handle basic tasks like booking appointments for meetings or scheduling a flight.More compelling, however, is Laura’s ability to make sophisticated decisions about the people in front of her, judging things like their attire, whether they seem impatient, their importance and their preferred times for appointments.
http://nytimes.com/2009/03/02/technology/business-computing/02compute.html