XiaoIce gives Microsoft an intelligent 'edge' in battle with rivals

She teases, giggles a lot and knows when will be the best time to extend sympathy.

XiaoIce, Microsoft Corp's latest artificial intelligence robot with the strong personality of an elvish girl and a better understanding of real-life conversations, returned to WeChat, Tencent Holdings Ltd's messaging service, on Thursday after its brief debut a year ago.

"The new XiaoIce will make every user wonder if it were a real 16-year-old," said Lu Qi, Microsoft's executive vice-president responsible for the application and service businesses. He said it was the most advanced AI product the world had ever seen.