TL;DR: Proton recently introduced Lumo, a new chatbot service designed with a focus on confidentiality and security. Billed as a "privacy-first" AI tool, Lumo aims to deliver the benefits of modern artificial intelligence without compromising user privacy or misusing personal data. While results may vary, Proton appears confident enough to position Lumo alongside established competitors in the AI market.
The idea behind Lumo is that while AI can provide significant opportunities for users and businesses, it also introduces new risks related to personal data collection. According to Proton, Big Tech is leveraging AI to accelerate the surveillance-capitalism business model rooted in advertising. Corporations are now harvesting vast amounts of user data, often without clearly seeking consent.
Lumo aims to deliver the benefits of AI without demanding access to personal data. Like other chatbots, it can summarize sensitive legal documents, answer private health questions, or rewrite personal emails. However, Lumo incorporates a range of safeguards specifically designed to protect user privacy.
Lumo stores no chat logs, doesn't share any data with third-party vendors or government agencies, and doesn't exploit user information to train new AI models. The chatbot is also protected by zero-access encryption, an open-source technology designed to prevent third parties from accessing users' content.
Lumo is built on several open-source AI models, including European projects developed by Mistral. Proton emphasizes that these models are operated from its European data centers, which should enhance transparency and reduce the risk of abuse by US or Chinese AI companies. The Geneva-based company compares Lumo to services like Gemini, Copilot, and other commercial AI tools, which it claims are focused on turning users into sources of profit.
Lumo also includes a few productivity-focused features, allowing users to upload files or search the web. The search feature is disabled by default and is built around privacy-friendly engines. Lumo is available for free to both guests using the web version and users of the official Android or iOS apps. A $13-per-month subscription is also offered, unlocking additional capabilities such as unlimited chats, extended encrypted chat history, and more.
We tried stress-testing Lumo with some controversial topics and found that the chatbot is likely designed to avoid such interactions. This suggests that while Proton's service may protect your privacy, it still enforces content restrictions similar to those of more traditional chatbots.