Investigated Proton Lumo AI: A Secure Conversational Assistant, Similar to ChatGPT but Promising Greater Privacy
In a recent development, Swiss-based secure communications provider Proton has entered the AI space with an open-source AI assistant named Lumo. This new addition to the Proton ecosystem is hosted in Proton's European datacenters, ensuring data privacy and protection.
Lumo, a cute feline mascot included in the assistant, reacts to what's happening on screen, adding a charming touch to the AI experience. The assistant is designed to keep conversations fully private with end-to-end encryption and no server logs, making it a secure choice for users.
One of Lumo's key features is Zero-Access Encryption. This means that not even Proton can access, read, or decrypt user data, guaranteeing strict confidentiality that complies with legal secrecy obligations. This feature is not available in popular AI models like ChatGPT. Furthermore, Lumo does not use user data for AI model training.
Lumo offers a range of features, including one-time chat options through "Ghost Mode", the ability to upload and analyze documents, and an encrypted chat history that carries across devices. It can process files from Proton Drive, but it was tested with a local file in the example provided.
Processing times for most tasks on Lumo are good, but intensive jobs may take extra time. The assistant was tested for its file analysis capabilities by uploading a document and asking it to summarize it. In the test, a book by Fyodor Dostoevsky called "Crime and Punishment" was used.
Lumo is available on the web, Android, and iOS devices. An account is not required to use Lumo, and it has a free tier with usage limits. For those seeking a more comprehensive experience, there is a Plus Member option, but further details about it were not provided. Upgrading to Lumo Plus provides full access for $12.99/month or $119.88/year.
It's worth noting that Lumo cannot access any kind of external web link to gather information. This ensures that users' privacy is maintained at all times.
In related news, the real cat whose name inspired the Lumo mascot is Dexter, not Larry as previously mentioned in some reports. Larry, in fact, is a real British official, known as the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office at 10 Downing Street.
As for the future, Lumo could potentially become more connected with other Proton services like Proton Mail, Calendar, and Proton Docs. Lumo could also generate specifications for software development, such as a Rust-based Linux desktop client for Lumo. However, the specifics of these plans have yet to be announced.
In conclusion, Proton's Lumo offers a secure, private, and user-friendly AI assistant experience. Its commitment to privacy, data protection, and zero-access encryption sets it apart from other AI models in the market.
