Microsoft’s rival to Apple’s Siri and Google Now – codenamed Cortana – has made a brief, unofficial debut in a leaked video.

The YouTube video shows what appears to be Cortana running on a Windows Phone, including the set up routine that requires a Microsoft account and some example questions. The voice component of the incoming voice-controlled digital assistant was not present in the video.

Cortana is Microsoft’s voice-controlled assistant for Windows Phone, named after the artificial intelligence character that plays a major role in Microsoft’s Xbox video game series Halo.

The digital assistant is expected to be able to use machine learning and access to the “Satori” knowledge repository that Microsoft’s Bing search engine uses for data, facts and figures.

Recent leaks of the Windows Phone 8.1 software update have indicated that Cortana will be able to answer questions and display results for things like the weather, stocks and shares, as well as location-based information like mapping and places.

Cortana is expected to debut on Windows Phone 8.1 around the beginning of April, but could also be integrated into Windows and Microsoft’s Xbox gaming system as part of Microsoft’s unifying search and Bing.

• Apple’s Siri forms an integral part of its new CarPlay in-car system, allowing drivers to control navigation and entertainment via voice while having messages read aloud