The Brave web browser, known for its emphasis on privacy and automatic ad and tracker blocking, has unveiled an artificial intelligence assistant named Leo.
The company claims that Leo provides unparalleled privacy compared to other AI chatbot services. After months of testing, Leo is now available for free to all desktop users of Brave web browser version 1.60.
The company has plans to launch Leo for Android and iOS users in the coming months.
The core features of Leo are quite similar to other AI chatbots like Bing Chat and Google Bard, enabling tasks such as translation, answering questions, summarizing web pages, and generating new content. However, Brave points out that what sets Leo apart is its alignment with the company’s privacy focus. Leo does not record conversations, is not used to train AI models, and does not require login information for use.
The company advises users to approach Leo’s outputs with caution due to possible inaccuracies or errors, as is the case with other AI chatbots.
The standard version of Leo employs the Llama 2 language model by Meta, which is freely accessible. Brave offers users who prefer access to a different, larger language model, Leo Premium, a $15 monthly subscription based on the Claude Instant language model, operated by Anthropic.
Brian Bondy, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Brave, stated in a press release, “Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool but raises increasing concerns about data privacy. There is a need for a privacy-centric solution, and Brave is committed to connecting AI with user privacy, providing users with safe and personalized AI assistance while spending time online.”
The company notes that additional models are available to Leo Premium users along with access to high-quality conversations, priority during peak usage, rate limits, and early access to new features.
