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Check out the 60 complex questions that confused Cortana more than Siri and Google Now

Published Oct 31st, 2014 4:00PM EDT
Cortana vs. Google Now vs. Siri
Image: Screenshot

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The three main mobile operating systems all have their respective voice-based virtual assistants to help users with various tasks during the day. Apple’s Siri, Google’s Google Now and Microsoft’s Cortana have been compared in many tests since the latter was unveiled earlier this year, with most of them suggesting that all three assistants generally perform well, with Google Now having certain advantages when it comes to the things it can offer users, and Cortana being able to keep up with its older rivals.

FROM EARLIER: This incredible heartwarming story shows us how amazing Siri can be

However, a more advanced Cortana vs. Siri vs. Google Now test has apparently revealed that Cortana doesn’t do that great when having to answer more complex queries. Phone Arena reports that two developers have put together a test composed of a series of harder questions for the virtual assistants, which were asked randomly with the help of a question generator.

Cortana took a serious beating, as it answered correctly 11.7% of the questions, while Siri got 25.8% correct answers, and Google Now took home the first place with a 33.3% accuracy.

The 60 questions used in this complex virtual assistants comparison include questions like “Find the limit of 5x/(1+x^3) as x approaches infinity,” “How does mindfulness reduce depression?” and “Tell me an argument for and against the claim, ‘It is morally permissible to kill one innocent person to save the lives of more innocent people.’” It’s not known which questions were harder for Cortana, Siri and Google Now, but you can check all of them out below:

  • What is the principle quantum number of selenium?
  • Is radon an actinide?
  • What will be the weather in two days?
  • What will be the weather Sunday?
  • How long is the movie Fanny and Alexander?
  • What is the genre of the movie The Fighter?
  • What is the genre of the show The Sopranos?
  • Who is the director of the series John Doe?
  • What is The University of Kansas’s rank in Higher Education Administration?
  • What is UCLA’s rank in Finance?
  • Find the limit of 5x/(1+x^3) as x approaches infinity.
  • Determine the interior angles of a rhombus with side lengths 1 and 3.
  • What is the special ability of the Pokemon Scrafty?
  • What type or types is the Pokemon Victreebel?
  • Which studio developed the game Mario Tennis?
  • How long does it typically take to complete the game Dragon Age: Origins?
  • What is the governmental leader of Greece?
  • What is the median home value in Macedonia?
  • What was the release date of Where the Wild Things Are?
  • Who wrote The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?
  • What animals are related to anteaters?
  • What is the diet of a cichlid?
  • Where and when was Peter Norvig born?
  • Who are relatives of Niels Henrik Abel?
  • What is the midcareer salary of a Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Structures)?
  • What is the midcareer salary of a Fire Fighter?
  • Where, near here, can I get a pineapple?
  • How much vitamin D3 is in a margarine teaspoon?
  • Give me directions to the nearest Chinese restaurant.
  • Give me directions to the nearest bakery.
  • What are ways to prevent typhoid fever?
  • Does scarlet fever go away on its own?
  • What is Commercial International Bank’s total assets?
  • What is the YTM of a zero-coupon bond with a face value of $3000 a current price of 2500 and a maturity of 26 years?
  • What is the cost of miracle grow?
  • What is a complementary product for pots?
  • What is “cat” translated to Lao?
  • Did the Houston Texans win?
  • Did the Dallas Cowboys win?
  • Show me sad images related to Bleach, if available.
  • Show me animated images related to Middle of the Earth in Ecuador, if available.
  • Tell me an argument for and against the claim, “It is morally permissible to kill one innocent person to save the lives of more innocent people.”
  • Tell me an argument for and against the claim, “Justice requires the recognition of animal rights.”
  • How do people get alzheimer’s?
  • How does mindfulness reduce depression?
  • Why is gold considered valuable?
  • Why are people against cloning?
  • When is the next IMO test?
  • When is the next Chicago Marathon?
  • Whose epitaph reads Lived a philosopher died a Christian?
  • According to the proverb which fruit tastes sweetest?
  • Sphere A, with a charge of 258 micro C, is located near another charged sphere B. Sphere B has a charge of 784 micro C, and is located 47.6 cm to the right of A. What is the force of sphere B on sphere A?
  • Zelda strikes a 0.436 kg golf ball with a force of 106 N and gives it a velocity of 3 m/s. How long was Zelda’s club in contact with the ball?
  • Play me a song or piece in the genre K-pop.
  • Play me a song or piece in the genre trad jazz.
  • Bring me to a credible report describing that perceived price of an object affects the experience one has with the object.
  • List the countries that allow autonomous vehicles.
  • Advise me how to reduce my mortality rate given that I am a middle-aged woman.
  • Advise me how to improve sustained attention and executive processing.
Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.