Microsoft and Amazon are doing something quite unheard of in the tech industry today. The two companies are letting their artificial intelligence-based assistants interact with each other on the same device. So, Alexa users will be able to say “Alexa, open Cortana”, while Cortana users do the opposite. The development was first reported by The New York Times, but was later corroborated through a press statement issued by the two companies.

While working together may be unprecedented, it could actually work in favour of both the companies.

“The world is big and so multifaceted. There are going to be multiple successful intelligent agents, each with access to different sets of data and with different specialized skill areas. Together, their strengths will complement each other and provide customers with a richer and even more helpful experience,” said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.

While working together may be unprecedented, it could actually work in favour of both the companies. For instance, Alexa users can now enjoy the deep integration between Cortana and Microsoft services. Moreover, both AI assistants could take cues from each other, to improve themselves in the long run.

That said, AI is a new arena, but touted as the next big thing. So, both Amazon and Microsoft do want a hold on the market that is just developing right now.