Proton promises that its Scribe AI writing assistant won't mishandle your data

Proton today launched Proton Scribe, an AI writing assistant powered by privacy-protecting localized artificial intelligence (AI).

Proton Scribe is integrated with Proton Mail to help you compose emails based on a single prompt. The assistant can also proofread your content and correct spelling and grammar with a single click.

Also: ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini: Which is the best AI chatbot?

The arguably most important aspect of Proton Scribe is privacy. Proton has created Scribe with a unique local AI approach, meaning prompts aren't sent to a cloud service. Instead, everything happens on your devices. You can also opt for Proton's secure "no log" servers.

Many users are concerned that various AI services are using their content to train large language models and mishandling their data. Those concerns appear valid in an age where data is often sold to the highest bidder.

Also: The best VPN services (and how to choose the right one for you)

The Proton Scribe announcement doesn't mince words: "With other AI models made popular in recent months, data is regularly mishandled and misappropriated with no ability to opt out of data harvesting and AI training. People are rightfully concerned about the privacy implications. In a recent survey of Proton users, 79% of business users said they didn't want their private data used to train AI. Despite this, 60% of users had or would like to use AI, rising to 75% of business users. An AI writing assistant was one of the most highly demanded features."

Proton says its AI is not trained on data from its users' inboxes. That process would be impossible due to the zero-access encryption used by its email service. Proton has also created a policy of never retaining data typed into Proton Scribe. No data is shared with third parties because Proton developed the new service in its entirety.

Also: How your business can best exploit AI: Tell your board these 4 things

Proton founder Andy Yen said of Scribe: "Rather than have users copying their sensitive communications into third-party AI tools that often have appalling privacy practices, it would be better to instead build privacy-first AI tools directly into Proton Mail. However, we wanted to do this in a uniquely Proton way, enabled by our business model that relies on the user being in control of their data, rather than the platform exploiting it."

Initially, Proton Scribe will be available to Proton Mail business customers for $2.99/user/month (after a 14-day free trial). All Proton Visionary and Lifetime subscribers will get Proton Scribe for free. Proton is rolling out the feature to Proton Mail web and desktop apps. To find out more about Proton Scribe, read the official blog post.