Perplexity has announced Portable Computer, a local AI agent designed to run locally on Linux, with data retained on the user's device. Users can decide whether to connect it online.
Perplexity has announced Portable Computer, an improved version of its predecessor developed to address the shortcomings of cloud-based AI. The new model uses local AI models to process requests and tasks submitted to the agent on the user's device. It does not require an online connection, and users decide whether to use it to accomplish a given objective. It is also said to be capable of retrieving files and information from the cloud through connections to external services.
The product's advantages in terms of performance, security and cost are also highlighted. Local AI is said to operate faster than online models, while processing data in a sandbox is expected to reduce the risk of data leakage. It may also avoid the credit-based charges incurred when using cloud services. According to the explanation, cloud processing may incur charges only when an online connection is required.