Brave launches AI assistant Leo, providing comprehensive protection for user privacy

Brave is a privacy-focused browser that automatically blocks ads and trackers. The company is launching a native AI assistant called Leo, claiming to provide "unparalleled privacy protection" compared to other AI chatbots. After months of testing, Leo is now available for free to all Brave desktop users running version 1.60 of the web browser. Leo will be rolled out in phases in the coming days and will be available on Android and iOS in the coming months.

The core functionality of Leo is similar to other AI chatbots like Bing Chat and Google Bard: it can translate, answer questions, summarize web pages, and generate new content. Brave states that the advantage of Leo over similar services is its alignment with the company's privacy-focused philosophy - conversations with the chatbot are not recorded or used to train AI models, and using it does not require login information. However, like other AI chatbots, Brave advises caution in handling Leo's output to avoid potential inaccuracies or errors.

The standard version of Leo uses Meta's Llama 2 large language model and is available for free by default. For users who want access to different AI language models, Brave has also introduced Leo Premium, a $15 per month subscription service that offers Anthropic's AI assistant Claude Instant, a faster and cheaper version of Anthropic's Claude 2 large language model.

Brave's CTO and co-founder Brian Bondy said in a press release, "AI can be a powerful tool, but it can also raise concerns about data privacy, which is why a privacy-first solution is needed. Brave is committed to combining AI with user privacy and providing secure personalized online AI assistance to our users."

Brave states that Leo Premium users not only have access to more models but also enjoy high-quality conversations, priority queuing during peak hours, higher rate limits, and early access to new features. In an interview, Brave's CTO and co-founder Brian Bondy said, "Leo's architecture allows for the integration of various different models. We believe that over time, more models will be introduced for users to choose from."