Proton unveils Lumo AI chatbot with strong privacy features

TL;DR: Proton launched Lumo AI, a privacy‑focused chatbot that keeps user data encrypted on the device and doesn’t use it to train models.

Lumo AI can generate code, summarize documents, and write emails while storing data encrypted on the user’s device
The chatbot uses zero‑access encryption, so Proton and third parties cannot view user data
Lumo does not train on customer data and disables web search by default, routing any enabled searches through privacy‑friendly engines
It runs on open‑source models like Mistral’s Nemo and Nvidia’s OpenHands, selecting the best model per task
Lumo is available via web, iOS and Android, with a free tier offering limited weekly queries and a paid Plus plan at $12.99/month for unlimited prompts and larger uploads

Proton has unveiled their Lumo AI chatbot, built with privacy as its main feature. This adds to their security-focused services, such as their email encryptions and password manager.

Lumo AI can generate code, summarize documents, and write emails. It does this while keeping data encrypted and stored on the user’s device.

Compared to most AI tools from other tech brands, Proton claims Lumo leverages zero-access encryption. This means that only the user can decrypt their data, preventing Proton themselves from viewing your data.

This also keeps third parties like advertisers and governments from accessing your information. The company also added that Lumo doesn’t use the customer’s data to train its AI models.

To elaborate, Lumo doesn’t search the web by default, as Proton disabled this to maximize privacy. While users may enable it, queries on the web are routed through privacy-friendly search engines.

The chatbot can also work to analyze uploaded documents, including those from Proton Drive, without retaining data after.

Proton is positioning Lumo as a secure alternative to mainstream services like ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI, and Copilot. It runs on a mix of open-source models like Mistral’s Nemo and Nvidia’s OpenHands 32B.

The platform selects the best model for specific tasks. For example, anything relative to coding is handled by OpenHands, which has programming as a key strength.

Lumo AI is now available via lumo.proton.me or through iOS and Android apps. Users opting for the free version of the chatbot get an encrypted chat history and limited queries on a weekly basis.

Interested readers may also opt for Lumo Plus, a plan priced at USD 12.99 (PHP 737) monthly. This tier also unlocks larger file uploads in addition to unlimited prompts.

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